A Mistake One Deathly Night
by barbiemachinegun
Summary: She wasn't suppose to live. She wasn't suppose to be a witch. But he messed up that night, and so she did.
1. Chapter 1

The snake like man smirked maliciously as screams and fires lifted into the air. Another muggle town destroyed, the foolish Order not able to protect this town of fifty. Which was a good thing, he had a mission to complete tonight. He couldn't attack a town with even a single wizard or witch or the Order would search everybody for the reason why. And he couldn't have that. No, he needed this particular object to be buried with the body of one of these muggles, so that it would never be found. He turned to the man standing next to him, he needed to get rid of him if he, the Dark Lord, wished to have any time to do this.

"Severusss, my boy, join your brotherss in the fun." The dark haired, dark eyed young man, looked up and nodded before leaving his masters side and joining another Death Eater in the killings. Lord Voldemort smirked as he walked to a house on the end of the street, one that his loyal followers had yet to come upon.

The door was easily destroyed as he walked in, narrowed red eyes immediately searching for a muggle to use. His eyes honed in on a small, little muggle baby, a patch of bushy brown hair on her head as she slept quietly on her bed. She looked nearly a year old. Perfect.

He smirked once more and slowly made his way to the child, dark wand being pulled from its holding place by a thin, pale fingers. The other hand, the free one, reached into a hidden pocket and pulled out a simple silver locket on a thin silver chain. Carved in nearly invisible symbols were snakes. His dark mark on the inside. He quickly slipped the necklace on the baby's neck, waking her up in the process.

He watched as the small baby opened her eyes, hands fisted by her head. A moment later and he was looking into grey eyes that were just beginning to change to brown. He held up his wand and pointed it at the small being, the first word of the killing curse on his lips and the spell for soul splitting in his mind when the door to the outside world durst open.

He spun on his foot and flung the curse at the tall, male muggle. The sickeningly green light struck the man and engulfed his body, his brown eyes wide as he fell lifelessly to the ground. Lord Voldemort turned back to the baby as she blinked up at him, locket held tightly in her fist. He smirked and once more prepared himself.

A moment later and the green light was surrounding the baby, a muffled cry on her lips. When the light died down, he looked to the softly glowing locket before, it too, became dull. He smirked and turned away from the lifeless baby and stepped over the dead man in the door. He walked away from the small white cottage at the end of the street as the fires and screams lifted into the air around him.

=^.^=

**A/N: Ok, this was only the first chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed this and are interested. I would like if people could review!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR IT'S CHARACTERS.**


	2. Chapter 2

An old, withered man walked down the dark streets, searching the faces of the bodies laying on the ground. He sighed as he looked into tortured, lifeless faces, bodies bruised and cold. Another town of muggles destroyed. He turned to his fellow Order members as they came up to him, sad, horrified faces looking up at him. He sighed once more.

"Albus, what _happened_? He's never been this…brutal." The voice of the Head of Gryffindor, Minerva McGonagall, spoke softly, yet strongly, to him. He looked away from her and looked around the dark, still fiery town. He turned back.

"Let us search for survivors." They nodded to him, although they knew he ignored the question. None of them would be able to answer, none wanted to answer. They left in pairs, walking down the streets.

=^.^=

It was some time later, maybe thirty minutes, when a large barn owl came swooping down, straight at Sirius Black. The young, dark haired man of twenty one years, held out his arm for the bird, quickly untying the note attached. The members closest to him turned as he gave a yelp of joy and he turned to his fellow school mates, the two of the Marauders, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew.

"I've got to go, Lily's having her son! They want me to be Godfather!" The two gave their congratulations for their friend and the young man nodded before turning on the spot and disappearing with a 'pop'. The two looked at each other before continuing their search for survivors.

=^.^=

The old, withered man by the name of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore walked down the street to the last house, a small white cottage. It's presence was unnoticed by most, the cottage neither impressive nor unremarkable. But the presence of immense darkness emitting from the small little home drew him closer and closer until he stood outside of the small picket fence, a white mailbox with the name 'Granger' painted onto it's side in perfect cursive.

He looked up into the darkened windows from where he stood. The curtains were pulled down, allowing no sight into the house. The yard was neat and once green, though it now held many scorch marks, the house itself seemed untouched. There were flowers of all kinds in neat little beds and pots. The bushes were neatly trimmed. He looked to the small, light wooden door and the body half in and half out. He sighed once more.

He walked slowly through the gate and up to the body. A quick charm allowed him to know of the body's dead status. He straightened and readied himself to turn from the house when a small babies cry echoed into the silent night.

He spun faster than he expected his nearly one hundred year old body was capable of. He stayed silent and waited for another cry. And not a moment later, another cry came, this one softer than the last. He walked swiftly over the dead man, for once not respecting the dead as he walked inside.

His blue eyes spotted the small child, laying in a crib near the empty fireplace. Her hands were balled into fist which she waved around as she tried to move. She gave another cry before Albus could move. He walked swiftly to the bed and looked down into newly changing brown eyes.

The baby stopped her fussing once he picked her up in trembling arms. He held her close and softly cooed to her, trying to calm her. He ignored the shouts of his name from outside as he looked down at the little muggle baby.

What a wonder this child was. The first muggle to survive these raids and she was but a child, not even a year of age. He subtly cast charms to check her health as the baby latched onto his beard with chubby hands, pulling some hair into her mouth and chewing. He chuckled down at her and walked from the house as her health came up fine, perfectly normal for a muggle child. He could still feel a darkness lingering around him as he walked away, but he shrugged it off, figuring it was the residue of the many killing curses performed not a few hours earlier.

He finally lifted his head as Minerva came closer to him, her breath slightly out of place as she walked quickly to him. He looked back down at the baby and cooed once more as she tugged on his beard. His colleague froze in front of him as she watched him play with the baby. The members of the Order slowly congregated around the pair and looked on in wonder at their powerful leader. Finally, as the last members filled in, he looked up from the giggling child and looked into the eyes of his faithful followers.

"Where is Sirius?" He turned to the only werewolf of the Order, Remus Lupin, as he spoke up.

"An owl from James arrived. Lily is having her child and they wanted Sirius to be the Godfather." Albus nodded as the eyes of the werewolf dropped back down to the child in his arms. Albus also looked down at the baby still playing with his beard and smiled as he softly began to speak.

"This is the only survivor of Scattery Island." They looked at him before looking back down to the baby, shocked that the small, fragile muggle baby had lived. She had paused in her chewing of Albus's beard to look at the many faces around her. She whimpered and snuggled farther into the old man's arm and beard, resuming her now nervous chewing, hands tightly clenched in the silver hair.

Albus once more chuckled, though it was a sad sound and he began walking to the small church in the center of the island as Minerva once more began speaking.

"Albus, why would he come here? To Ireland? This is the farthest part of the island from England! What did he want?" He looked sadly to the woman beside him.

"I do not know Minerva. I have the feeling that it will be a long time till I do." The man looked forward once more, occasional cooing down to the little baby. Minerva once more spoke up.

"What is her name?"

"I do not know, though I believe she may be a Granger. I wonder if the church holds birth records…" Kingsley, an auror from the ministry, heard the subtle command and quickly sped forward, jogging into the church as the others waited outside. With a look from Albus, Nymphadora quickly followed the tall black man into the building. Moments later and the pair returned.

"The only person born that would be her age was one Hermione Jane Granger. What did you say you thought her name was?" But Albus was no longer listening, he was looking down at the baby in his arms. Kingsley continued. "She was the last child born here, born September 19th, 1979. She'll be a year old in less than two months."

"But how did she survive? The Dark Lord has never let a muggle live! How could she, a baby live?" But Albus did not talk to her, instead, he directed it at the child now softly whining, wanting food.

"My dear, we will never know what happened, and we will never meet again. You will never know of the family you once had and you will never remember this place. All you will have is your name and that locket. But I know, that what happened here last night, is something never accomplished by many before you, and for that, you will be remembered." The girl had stopped her low whining to look curiously at the old man with sparkling blue eyes looking down at her. She giggled and grabbed hold of his nose as she began to drift to sleep.

The people around him watched in wonder as the baby fell asleep and their mysterious leader chuckled before disappearing. They looked at each other before apparating to the Head Quarters of the Order Of The Phoenix.

=^.^=

Albus appeared in a dark alley on a street called Spinners End. He walked quickly to a well kept brick home, an old woman sitting on a rocking chair staring at him with critical eyes. He smiled softly as he walked up the three, wooden stairs to stand in front of the white haired woman. She waited for him to speak.

"Rose."

"Albus." A long silence stretched between the two friends. They had not spoken in over twenty years, yet they still recognized each other. She, a squib, and he, arguably one of the most powerful wizards in history. But power and magic did not matter, all that mattered was the strength of their friendship. For the continuous surveillance of the young Miss Granger depended upon it. "What do you want?" She finally asked, breaking the silence as she stared at the sleeping child in her friends arms.

"A favor." A silence once more stretched between the two, the tinkling of wind chimes made of multiple different objects swaying in the wind the only sound. Their eyes stayed locked as the old woman, Rose, stood.

"And what would that be?"

"For you to raise this young girl." Her eyes narrowed slightly before she answered.

"I'm over seventy years old. How do you expect me to raise a child?"

"Please."

"That is not an answer."

"It is my only answer. She is the first to survive a raid by Tom and his followers. Her town was raided last night, she was only just found." Rose's eyes narrowed further.

"And do you know who use to live just down the street? He could return at any time." He looked where her finger was pointed. A small, narrow, two story house stood tightly between two other houses. The stones grey and the roof looked to be ready to cave. The windows were covered and the dark front door tightly closed. A student of his had lived there, a student whom had joined Tom. Severus Tobias Snape.

"You do not have to worry about him." He turned and stared into her bright green eyes with his sparkling blue ones. She openly glared.

"You aren't telling me something."

"I know." She sighed and turned away from his smiling, wrinkled face.

"Well, what's her name?" He smiled.

"Hermione Jane Granger."

=^.^=

**A/N: Ok, thanks for reading! By the way, thank you **_**Burnedx2**_** for reviewing! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**

**Note: Scattery Island is a real ghost town, though I tweaked it's history some. The island became a ghost town in 1978 when the last two people(a brother and sister) finally left. The last child born there was 1978. Obviously, since Hermione wasn't born till 1979, I moved that date up one. Also, since Harry was being born the day after the village was attacked, I moved that the last year the place was lived in was 1980.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS.**


	3. Chapter 3

The old man tiredly rubbed his face with a wrinkled hand, glasses resting on the desk in front of him. The dark haired young man sitting in front of him sat quietly in his seat as he watched his old Headmaster, whom was now his employer. The news he had just reported to him stressed the old man greatly. The fact that Tom, as Albus called him, knew about the prophecy and was now focused intently upon killing either Harry or Neville was bad enough, but now that he had just discovered that Tom had been creating Horcruxes all this time was even worse.

Albus finally dropped his hand and put his glasses back over sad blue eyes and stared at the young, dark man in front of him. Severus Tobias Snape. His spy. A valuable asset.

"Severus, when does he plan to attack?" The young man looked distraught, though he hid it well, as he looked into the eyes of his employer.

"I…I don't know." Albus sighed as the young man looked down at his hands folded in his lap, obviously berating himself for the lack of answer.

"Severus, where are you staying?" Severus looked up in confusion, clearly not understanding the man's jumps from subject to subject. But no matter, it was probably his old age, he reasoned, so he answered.

"At the Leaky Cauldron. Why?"

"You should go home, fix the place up." Albus said, ignoring the question. He looked down to his desk and began rifling through his things. Severus desperately asked him why.

"Sir, why, there is no reason for me to go!" But it was no use, the man had already closed himself off.

"Lemon Drop, my dear boy?" And the old man was once more smiling. The young man only side and stood up, leaving the room.

=^.^=

Albus sighed as Severus left and looked back down at his desk, to the letter sitting on top. He took a Lemon Drop, one of the ones he infused with a Calming Draught, and began to suck on it as he once more looked over the letter.

_-Albus,_

_She performed magic. Today. I tried to take her locket off so that I could wash it - she was playing in the mud today. But she shocked me. I thought it was nothing until I tried it again. I've been nursing my hand for the last two hours. Yes, she cut me. I've tried everything to stop the blood, but it won't stop. You will get your wrinkled self down here and heal me. Now. And I expect answers as to why you lied to me._

_-Rose Callaway_

He sighed and rubbed a tired hand over his face. This can't be right. The girl is a muggle. She can't have magic. While it is true that all muggles have a small amount of magic in them, it is even less than what a Squib has, and twice as less reliable. No muggle has ever been reported of performing accidental magic. Only witches and wizards are capable of accidental magic.

So how was it that she could? Muggles just don't turn into witches and wizards, it was impossible. He sighed once more and stood, he may as well comfort rose and assure her that her mind was only playing tricks on her.

He slowly walked out of his office and down the spiraling stare case and down the lonely halls, void of students for the time being. It was July 29, 1981. A day before Neville Longbottom's first birthday and two before Harry Potter's. Severus was not sure which one Tom planned to attack, but no matter what, both would have to be protected. The Longbottom's were enough protection as two powerful aurors, though he had a few more aurors taking shifts to check on them. The Potter's were under the Fidelius Charm, Sirius as their Secret-Keeper. He only hoped it was enough.

As he walked closer to the gates of Hogwarts he could see the young man whom had only recently left his office standing outside the gates, as if confused as to where he should go.

"Severus, my boy, why don't you apparate with me? I happen to be going to the same place as you." He smiled pleasantly at the young man. Severus looked reluctant to accompany, but he finally relented and nodded, linking his arm with his employer.

A moment later and they stood in a dark alley of the poor city. Walking down Spinners End only brought bad memories of the times he lived here. He scowled at the things he recognized.

That path over there leading to the playground he used to play at as a child. The market over there, where the meat cutter used to give him some raw meat to place over his eyes whenever the bullies or his father became to rough. The church over there, where the old woman used to straighten his mismatched clothes and force him to sit up straight during sermons. The lady who used to pull him from going to the playground to instead join her for tea time with her old friends.

He looked at the old man in front of him with slight shock as he realized he had been led onto the very same porch of that old woman. And he now looked into the bright green eyes of said woman before she looked away with a glare to instead stare angrily at Albus.

Albus stopped watching Severus from the corner of his eye when the angry old woman in front of him glared at him. She held up her bloody hand covered with layers of cloth, all stained red. She angrily raised a white brow.

"Well? Are you going to explain? And what is _he_ doing here?" She angrily glared at the young beside him again. He sighed and turned to Severus.

"Severus, my boy, there is a little girl inside. I believe she is in…" He paused, as if listening for something before nodding and smiling to himself. "the kitchen. Take her to the playground." He turned back to the old woman and ushered her inside and up the stairs, not giving Severus a choice in the matter. The dark man sighed and walked into the house, following the sounds of bangs until he got to the kitchen.

=^.^=

"Albus, I want answers now, or so help me…" She let it trail off as Albus sighed at her angry expression.

"Rose, it is impossible for her to have performed magic. She was a muggle when I found her and gave her to you. That has not changed. I can't explain what happened to you, but please, let me heal you." He patiently held out his hand for the stubborn woman, a hard glint in his eyes. She finally nodded and lifted her covered hand for him to heal.

"But why is that boy here? He is dangerous." the old man paused in unwrapping her hand before continuing.

"Like I said before, Rose, you do not have to worry about him." She glared as he began performing the necessary charms and spells.

"You're hiding something from me again." He was silent for a moment as he looked over her hand.

"There, all better." She sighed and followed the mysterious and secretive old man down the stairs.

=^.^=

Severus lunged for the nearly two year old girl as she once more tried to run. Her short, ear length bushy brown hair, flew around her ears as she ducked under his arms and continued her run for the swings. He groaned and stood up from the ground, ignoring the looks he was getting from the drunks on the bench, and chased after the little girl. He was growing tired of this game. Who knew a two year old could be cunning enough to outrun him.

He jumped as the little girl tugged on his pants leg. He looked down, slightly surprised to realize he had stopped moving.

"Mister Nose," His eye began to twitch at the name, remembering the times others had made fun of his nose. "why did you stop playin'?" He blinked in shock at the little girl, unaware that two year olds could even speak in coherent sentences.

But Hermione only looked up at him in confusion. Her brown eyes looked up with curiosity as she looked at the man, Mister Nose, as she had dubbed him since he had yet to give her his name. growing bored at his wide eyed expression, she turned and began to skip clumsily away.

She sat on a swing and picked up the pretty locket around her neck, picking some dirt off it as she looked at the snakes that Rose couldn't see. She looked up from her locket and watched the dark haired man walk towards her, anger spreading across his face. She stood from her swing and ran as fast as she could, occasionally jumping from the mans arms.

=^.^=

Albus walked silently along the narrow, cobblestone alley that lead to the run down playground. It had been hours since he had healed and yet, neither had returned. He was worried that Severus had been summoned, that maybe Hermione was all alone in the dark playground, crying in fear. He held in the shiver of worry for the young child he remembered chewing on his beard.

The old man with nearly glowing silver hair, stood out amongst the dark and dingy surrounding of the playground as he watched his dark haired potions professor chasing a little brown haired girl that was no taller than the young mans knees. He began to chuckle as he watched the two, Severus sliding in the mud every time he made a lunge and Hermione deftly ducking from his arms.

He sighed tiredly as he sat down on a rotting bench to watch the two as they happily ran about. Well, happily on Hermione's part. He chuckled again as Severus once more took a face dive into mud. It was a wonder the young man hadn't used his wand yet. But no matter, Albus was content to simply watch the two, smiling gently to Rose as she appeared from the alley, looking at the two still running about.

=^.^=

**A/N: Ok, so this chapter was lighter. I hope you guys enjoyed this! I would like to again thank **_**Burnedx2**_** for their kind review and also **_**coomelove**_**, and **_**Ultanered**_**. Anyways, I would like for people to review. I'm curious as to what you all think about this.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR IT'S CHARACTERS.**


	4. Chapter 4

_A handsome young man from a prestigious pure-blood wizarding family fought against the aurors, yelling in frustration. His words were unintelligible as he tried to get the onlookers to help him. He looked to Albus, his mentor, leader, his friend._

"_Albus, please! Help!" His grief filled grey eyes locked onto the unreadable blue eyes of the old wizard. But the gaze was broke short when Albus turned away, refusing to look at the man whom had betrayed his own friends. Whom betrayed the Order. Whom betrayed him. The young man slowly shook his head. "Albus, no…please, no! help! I beg you! Don't let them take me! I would never hurt them! THEY WERE MY FRIENDS!"_

=^.^=

The words echoed through his mind as Albus slowly lifted his head from his table, parchment sticking to his cheek. He sighed as he carefully pulled it off. He looked at the name. Ronald Billius Weasley. A young man that was a candidate to come to Hogwarts as a student.

It was that time of year again, the time where he marked who made it to school out of all the young witches and wizards that were old enough to begin school. He looked back down to the picture of the smiling ginger as he stood with his parents, pouting when his mother, Molly, tried to smooth his hair or clean his face. Albus chuckled and waved his wand over it, accepting the boy into his school. His parents were members of the Order and his siblings already attended.

He continued with the applicants, sometimes accepting, sometime, regrettably, declining. This went on for many hours, well into the night and as the sun began rising again. A knock on the door startled him. He looked up and bid the person to enter as he absently placed the candidate - Pansy Parkinson - into the accept pile and pulled the next candidate to him. He smiled as Minerva's stern face came into view.

"Minerva, my dear, how are you this fine, August morning?_" _She huffed and sat down gracefully into the chair in front of his desk.

"Albus, how long have you been up?" The man smiled sheepishly.

"How is one to tell when one is awake when one dreams when ones eyes are closed and one thinks to be dreaming when ones eyes are open? And how is one to tell when ones eyes are open if one can not tell the difference between awake and sleep? And-" She finally cut him off, waving his words away.

"I am in no mood for your circles of logic. Now, where are the accepted candidates?" He again looked sheepish. "And no circles!" He sighed as he looked down to the parchment on his desk. Harry James Potter.

"Aa, look, young Mister Potter." He didn't even think of the decision as he waved his wand over the parchment, accepting the eleven year old boy.

"You're not finished." He refused to look at her as he pulled another candidate to him. William Antonio Bercilly. No. Draco Malfoy. Yes, unfortunately. Blaise Zabini. Yes. Hermione Jane Granger. Ye-what?

He stopped listening to Minerva whom was reprimanding him, which he usually enjoyed listening to. He stared at the bushy haired young girl. Her hair now reached just below her shoulders. Her eyes were piercing and brown. She had a dusting of freckles over her small nose. She stared with seriousness at the camera, no childish behavior in her posture or face.

He held a soft spot for the young girl ever since they found her. She was such a curious muggle, able to survive an attack by Tom and his followers. But that was the thing, she was a muggle, _not_ a witch. Who made the mistake og thinking she was a witch? He stood and walked to his fireplace, parchment in hand as he continued to ignore Minerva. He grabbed a pinch of floo powder and threw it into the flames. He stuck his head in the green flames and called our for the ministers office. A moment later he was staring into the startled eyes of Cornelius Fudge.

"Cornelius, I want to know why I have a an applicant for one Hermione Jane Granger, a muggle." The minister mumbled to himself as he rummaged through his files for the girls file, strangely without complaint. Albus watched as the man walked forward with a file, already shaking his head.

"No, no, she's a witch alright. Just before she was two, on July 29th, 1981, she performed an unidentified spell on her caretaker, Rose Callaway. It was labeled as grey magic. On her fifth birthday, September 19th, 1984, she performed magic on a muggle boy in her class. The boy was levitated with the _Wingardium Leviosa_ charm and dropped from the school window, eighteen feet high. Though the charm is normal Light magic, it was labeled as grey due to the intentions. The list goes on, each incident closer to each other. They are all labeled as grey, a few light, and one dark. The dark spell was when she was a little over ten years of age. She was reported to be in a park near her guardians home at the time on Christmas day, December 25th, 1989. A muggle, whom was reported drunk, was attacked by the girl, whom said she wanted the man to hurt because he hurt her. Her claim was never proved, therefore the spell was labeled as dark."

Albus couldn't talk throughout the speech. When she was younger and had hurt Rose, he could believe it was magic. While it had never happened, it was within the possible realms for her to perform magic with the small amount of magic she held. But for all of these incidents? They couldn't be accidental, she had to be performing magic. But how? She was a muggle, for Merlin's sake!

Albus nodded absently at the minister and withdrew his head from the flames and returned to his desk. Minerva watched her friend tiredly make his way back to his seat, a rare look of confusion coming from his dazed eyes. She knew now was the time not to ask.

He sat down and looked back down to the candidate, to the still Picture of Hermione. He sighed and picked up his wand, waving it over the short parchment.

=^.^=

A bushy headed brunette with piercing brown eyes slowly swayed back and forth on the swing she usually sat on when here. She was the only child that lived here, the playground was shared between her and the two drunk homeless men: John Benti and Liam Sims. Her face was, once more, buried in a book, this one a play by Shakespeare called 'A Winter's Tale'. Rose said it was most likely the play her parents, whomever they were, got her name.

But Hermione did not care much for the parents she neither remembered meeting or seeing, she held no memory of their voices or what they smelt like. She can't even remember what her old home use look like. So, the only parent for her was Rose.

The hoot of an owl broke the girl from her thoughts and book. She looked up and watched the small, brown owl fly in. A Micrathene whitneyi, more commonly known as the Elf Owl. She studied the small bird as it swooped down and landed on her knee once she pulled her book to her chest. She watched, curiously, as it dropped a letter on her lap and then took off into the air once more.

She looked down at the letter before picking up the slightly yellow, thick, material: parchment. Her head tilted and her skinny little fingers carefully tore the wax seal of Hogwarts.

=^.^=

Rose was many things. She was a daughter. A mother. A grandmother. A strong believer of Christianity and knowledge of the sciences. She was a teacher. She was a guardian. But alas, she was _not_ a lover of magic.

But the fact that she had been dragged into going to Diagon Alley because her _wonderful_ friend decided to accept the girl she was guarding. The short, thin woman sighed irritably as she glanced at the girl behind her, whom had fallen behind to stare around into the many magical shops. She scowled and walked back to the girl.

"Hermione, get your skinny ass over here. You want your wand, do you not?" The young girl turned to look up into the eyes of her caretaker. She nodded quickly and followed the woman through the crowded streets. The girl wondered, idly, how the unimposing woman was able to part the throngs of people tightly clustered together. But it was no matter, nothing more than an idle thought.

They finally arrived at the wand shop of Ollivander. The girl was once more curious as to how rose was able to find the place, but she dismissed it once they entered the cool, quiet shop. She looked up the tall, narrow shelves stuffed with tiny boxes.

She was in the middle of her inspection of a curios little white box that had fallen to the ground when the man, Mr. Ollivander, suddenly appeared. She straightened and left to go stand beside Rose.

Mr. Ollivander stood kindly beside his desk and looked at the two. He recognized one to be Rose Callaway, the Squib friend of Albus Dumbledore. Her hair was white as ever and her green eyes still just as piercing. The girl beside her, however, was unfamiliar.

The girl wore a simple green dress, a white sweater over that, and knee high white socks tucked into small brown loafers. Her school uniform. Her eyes were a mixture of browns, piercing. Her hair was bushy, puffing up like a cat around her head and down a little ways past her shoulders. Her skin was slightly pale and she had a dusting of freckles over her nose. What a curious couple, he had thought. Though all he did was smile.

"I assume you are looking for a wand? Well, hold out your wand arm!" Rose turned to the girl and tapped the girls right hand. The girl, understanding the message, lifted her right arm and waited. Her brown eyes widened as the tape measures flew around her, measuring her. He swiftly came back, holding out a wand.

"What do I do with it, sir?" He chuckled and fingered the wand before setting it in her hand.

"It is eleven inch yew with a core of Abaia fina nd phoenix feather. Very regal, full of protection and kindness. Very bendy. Works well if you are a med witch or charms mistress." She nodded, waiting for him to continue. "Just wave it."

Rose looked over sharply at the girl. This is what she was waiting for. If the girl could do nothing with the wands, it would mean she was just a muggle whom was prone to accidental magic. But if she could…well, that would be answered if it came to that.

Hermione looked down and observed the dark colored wand. It was covered in knots and wasn't straight. It was beautiful and warm, but it just didn't speak to her like that white box had. But she waved the wand, for the man in front of her seemed curious.

She gasped and nearly dropped the wand when a jet of white light shot from the wand and blasted through Mr. Ollivander's desk, ripping a hole straight through the center. But the old man just chuckled and continued his search.

=^.^=

"Miss Granger, I like you. Never have I had such a complicated customer. Thank you so much!" He smiled kindly to the nervous looking girl. She looked frightened that she had done something wrong. "But I do have one question for you." She looked up as he walked over to the little white box, frowning. "Why does your attention seem to stray to this particular box?" He waited with his back turned, afraid what her answer may be.

"Well, I'm…not sure…it seems like it's talking to me. Is that…weird?" Ollivander sighed and slowly opened the box as he walked back to the trembling girl. He held the box out to her and didn't touch it.

"Nothing is wrong with that. It merely means you have an already strong connection with the wand. Here, take it." He waited, nervous, as a small hand reached out and grabbed the wand. He gulped as the wand gave a pulse of pure magic and then settled. The girl raised her arm to wave it. "Ah, no, no. It's already chosen you. Let's not perform any magic without a proper lesson, hmm?" He smiled pleasantly, though with a sign of nervousness behind it.

She nodded excitedly and held the wand close to her chest. It pulsed with power in her hands and seemed to wrap her in a comforting blanket of security. There seemed to be a soft humming in her mind, in the void of nothingness. It completed her where she had always felt empty. It was like this wand was part of her that had been lost long ago. She smiled contentedly and looked up to Rose.

"Hermione, go on outside and follow the signs to the library. I need to ask Mr. Ollivander a few things." Hermione nodded and walked quickly from the room, missing the look of worry passing over the old wand makers face.

"Rose, who is she?" She gave him a calculating look.

"Why do you want to know?"

"That wand, that wand that she just received, was the only wand I never made. I don't know who made it, all I know is that it is powerful. None of us can touch it and no one can take it out of it's box or out of this store. I've hidden for a while, but somehow, she found it." He took in a shuddering breath.

"What type of wand was it? What makes it so evil?"

"It is a six inch Linden with a core of a hair of Thoth, the crushed tooth of an Emere, and a single hair from BasCelik. Thoth is the god over in Africa, somehow, someone got a hair of his even though Thoth has not been seen in over two thousand years. And BasCelik…I fear the being that got a hair off his head." The man trailed off, looking into the distance.

"And the Emeres? What are they?"

"Oh, them. They aren't all that bad, just very elusive. They are children that can dross from this world to the next." He looked down to Rose with suddenly sharp eyes. "Is Miss Granger an evil person?" Rose's eyes grew, almost comically, before she shook her head, calming down.

"No, no. She's a good girl, just quiet. And very studious. But her magic is a bit of a curious thing." He looked away thoughtfully, mumbling, before looking back down to Rose.

"How so?" Rose looked away, out the window at the people milling about. She saw a giant walk by, someone she thought she recognized…aa, that's right, Rubeus Hagrid. She turned back to Ollivander.

"I'm not allowed to share that information, even if I knew it. I must be going." She stood suddenly and began to walk to the door. She stopped, door slightly open, as Ollivander once more spoke, a soft, frightening tone underneath.

"Rose, I would watch her if I were you. Be careful." She said nothing as she left the small shop, not seeing the look Ollivander threw out the window, in the direction of the book shop.

=^.^=

"Rose! There you are! Look what I found." She ducked her head and shifted through the large pile of books she had already made. She was so excited, all of these books, the quiet and soft atmosphere of the place…it was like heaven! She finally found the book - Hogwarts: A History - and held it up for Rose to see. Rose glanced at the cover before nodding.

"You may buy all of them with your required books." Hermione's eyes widened.

"Really? You mean it?" Rose looked at the young girl whom she had grown to like.

"Of course. It is all in the name of knowledge, yes? So, you may buy them." Hermione's grin, if possible, grew wider and she nodded. Leaving to find her other required books, Rose saw her new wand in her right hand. She gave it a wary look before putting it out of mind and looking through the pile of books Hermione had collected.

The girl in question couldn't be happier though. The void in her had been filled at last and she able to buy all of these books! And add to that, she will be going to a school with people exactly like her. She smiled and began scanning book titles, wand in one hand and locket in the other.

=^.^=

**A/N: Ok, here is the next chapter! I hope everyone enjoyed this! I did a lot of research for the wands, so I went ahead and put what the two wands I mentioned are made of and their descriptions below.**

**Wand One: Yew with a core of Abaia scale and feather of a phoenix.**

**Yew**-**is a source of joy and honor to every prince and knight**

**Abaia-a magical eel at the bottom of a lake. It is fiercely protective of it's children(the creatures of it's lake)and if any are harmed, it will create a large storm or flood to kill all those that hurt it's children by powerful flails of it's large tail.**

**Phoenix-a creature representing life, death, rebirth, and immortality. A joyous creature, a symbol of hope.**

**Wand Two: Linden with a core of a hair of Thoth, crushed tooth of a Emere, and a single hair of BasCelik.**

**Linden-is horrible to every knight, when the corpse quickly begins to cool and is laid in the bosom of the dark earth. Prosperity declines, happiness passes away and covenants are broken**

**Thoth-A god of the heart(which is where the Egyptians believed the mind and intelligence lay)and the translator for Apollo. He is the Egyptian god of knowledge and Language.**

**Emere-children that can pass from this world to the afterlife.**

**BasCelik-a very evil demon. No weapon can harm him. The only way to diminish his strength is to dehydrate him. There is no way to actually kill him. There is a rumor that there may be a sword that can slay him, but it has never been proven.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR IT'S CHARACTERS.**


	5. Chapter 5

The bushy haired girl looked down in wonder at the dark water below them. She could just barely make out creatures swimming about underneath the surface. She pulled her hand back just as she was about to skim her hand over the water. She looked to the two boys she had met earlier - Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley - as they quietly talked amongst themselves, looking up to the castle in front of them in wonder. Hermione also turned her hand to the beautiful castle.

Green eyes focused on the strong and foreboding building in front of him, temporarily tuning his new friend out. He had never seen anything so glorious as the castle. He glanced around at the other First years around him, hoping he wasn't the only one in awe of the building.

He sighed happily as he realized both of his boat mates were in awe, Ron more so than the girl - Hermin or something. He looked back at the castle as they grew closer.

=^.^=

The withered old man waited anxiously at the Head Table, awaiting the new students to be escorted inside by his Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall. The young, dark man to his right sat quietly, poking at his food. Albus knew the boy wanted nothing more than to run from the room, but he stayed on a command from Albus.

Albus held his breath as the doors at the front of the hall slowly opened and the hall grew quiet. He eagerly awaited to see the face of the boy he knew would soon come to say the world. Finally, after sifting through faces he knew he would memorize later, he found him.

The boy was the exact replica of his father, but with his mothers eyes. He glanced over to the man beside him nervously, hoping he wouldn't see the boy. Much to his luck, the man seemed completely absorbed with cutting his bread into precise pieces of exact proportions to each other. Albus looked back to the students as the sorting began.

Severus finally allowed himself to look up as he felt the Headmasters gaze leave him. His gaze immediately honed in on the boy he was waiting to see, the boy he had been waiting to see ever since he knew that Lily became pregnant.

He nearly growled when he realized the boy looked exactly like his father, only with his mothers eyes. He was everything he loved and hated, all wrapped together. He looked away quickly, not able to stand the sight of the boy. His gaze instead fell onto his arrogant Godson, Draco Malfoy. The boys bright blonde hair was slicked back and his grew eyes peered haughtily out at those around him. He was dressed in the finest robes money could afford. He looked away once more.

His gaze now fell on a girl. She was nothing impressive, just a scrawny, bushy haired child. She had freckles covering her semi pale face. Her robes, while good enough, were not of the finest quality. They weren't even of average quality. They seemed to be the cheapest set they could buy. But they were pressed and clean. Her shoes were polished and tied impeccably. But none of this mattered. It was her eyes. Those eyes of muddled browns piercing the air as she looked at those around her, shining with knowledge just waiting to be doted upon and grown.

He recognized those eyes from somewhere, from sometime. He could faintly remember those eyes glancing over a skinny shoulder before his face fell into mud.

Hermione, waiting nervously for her name, could feel the gaze of someone peering at her face. She desperately, though subtly, searched out the person. Her search, unfortunately, was cut short as her name was called. She walked with a confident stride, all nervousness gone, and sat on the rickety stool. The hat fell down upon her head and covered her view of the room.

=^.^=

"_Hmm, what a curious magic you have, young lady. I sense that you are not a witch, your magic is not your own, though it slowly is becoming so."_

"_What are you talking about, Mr. Hat? Surely I must be a witch, I perform magic!"_

"_Ah, yes. You perform magic, of course, but that magic wasn't originally yours."_

"_You are making no sense, Mr. Hat. I'm afraid to say that you may be loosing your touch." A rough chuckle flitted though the young girls mind._

"_You are smart girl, and brave, and dark. Definitely not a Hufflepuff."_

"_I am not dark! Nor am I brave."_

"_Ah, but you are. And I see you did not argue my proclamation of your intelligence." Another rough chuckle flitted through her mind. "Your magic is dark girl, though that may be changed over time as you grow and your soul overtakes the darkness within."_

"_You're not making any sense again." Another chuckle. "You sure do laugh a lot, Mr. Hat. Will you please get on with this? There are others waiting, you know." Another chuckle echoed before he answered._

"_And you are brave. Did you know, that ever since this school was created, I've never met a student that argued me? Let me leave you with a riddle, little lion."_

_Protected by a soul from a soul meaning death,_

_A soul takes the soul of another,_

_Protected by a soul from a soul meaning death,_

_A soul becomes what one soul should not._

"_Until we meet again, Little Gryffindor."_

=^.^=

Hermione walked in a daze to the cheering table, that odd riddle still bouncing around in her mind. But she pushed it away as the people around her patted her back, congratulating her accomplishment of making it into the wonderful Gryffindor house. Happy to be accepted, she sat blissfully through the rest of the feast with her new classmates.

=^.^=

Albus's attention was torn from the boy he had been waiting to meet as Hermione was called. He watched as she walked with steps of a woman who had accepted herself, though she was only an eleven year old girl. The hat stayed on her head only for a few moments, the but of it's expression that he could see showing amusement. The old man was curious as to the inner workings of the girl, but he refused to ask.

Perhaps, when they had retrieved the girl, he had misread his own spells. It was possible, though unlikely. Perhaps she really was a witch and he had simply overlooked the fact that she could be a muggleborn, or even a half-blood. He was curious, yes, but he had more important things to ponder over. Like how he was going to subtly begin pushing Harry to fight the Dark Lord.

A soft smile spread across the wrinkled face of the Headmaster as the boy was sorted into Gryffindor, exactly as he had expected. And not but a few moments later, the students were sorted and he began his beginning of term speech.

"Hello again. It's time for another year of magical wonder and learning. As usual, the Forbidden Forest is just that: forbidden. And all should avoid the third floor corridor unless one wishes for a painful death. But, this year, we have our new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher: Professor Quirrel. Please, make him feel welcomed." The man that stood was a trembling, his eyes darting about the hall nervously. The purple turban on his head was tight, though it shook as he hastily sat again. "Now, without further ado, let us eat with these final words: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" With a wave us his ancient hands, food began to fill the serving dishes and platters sitting along the middle of the four tables.

Hermione looked away from her Headmaster and looked instead at the man with the purple turban. His gaze was still shifty, occasionally landing on the boy Harry Potter. But the man himself didn't matter so much as the aura that seemed so familiar. She couldn't feel those around her, just the nervous wizard's. She looked back to the man.

She noticed that the feeling she was sensing from the man wasn't like the wand. It wasn't like it was speaking to her, or even a part of her. It seemed more like she was the same as this man's magic. As if they shared the same magic. The girl tilted her head, curious. She wondered as to why their magic was so similar when no one else's was like theirs. But she only shook these idle thoughts from her mind and turned back to her food, ignoring the look she received from the turban covered man.

His master's voice was growing in volume and he subtly reinforced his silencing charm, trying to keep his masters voice only in his mind. The snake like man was furious, sitting so close to his arch nemesis - Albus Dumbledore. The man silently attempted to quiet his Lord within his mind.

"_Milord, I beg of you, please don't make so much noise! They well discover us and you may get hurt."_

"_Are you attempting to order me, Quirrel?"_ The nervous man was only happy that his Lord seemed to be calmer now. He decided answering was not the best choice and tucked meekly into his meal before his Lord interrupted him. _"What is that?"_

"_What is what, milord?"_

"_That…magic. Find it."_ The man ignored his meal to quickly look around to the students filling the hall, attempting to distinguish which one he was talking about. Potter, maybe?

"_Do you speak of the boy, Harry Potter?"_

"_Harry Potter…"_ He gave a short snort of disgust after he spat the name of the boy out. _"But no, it is not the boy. I feel connected to this one…"_ The new professor was slightly confused as to why his reclusive Lord was revealing so much of himself to a lowly servant like him, not realizing that his precious Lord was going to kill him when all was through. But he searched around the hall nonetheless, searching for the magic that reminded him of his masters.

He nearly passed over it for the third time that night before he realized that the magic he was looking for felt no different than from the magic of his Lord. He focused onto the being that held his masters magic.

It was the scrawny, buck-toothed, bushy haired brunette first year girl. What was her name again, he asked himself. He almost smiled triumphantly when he remembered the name. Hermione Granger. He quickly sought out his master within his mind to relay the message.

"_Milord, the connection, I believe I may have found it. It comes from a first year, one Hermione Granger. Her magic, milord, is not similar to yours, it exactly replicates yours." _His master was quiet as he seemed to absorb the news. The servant watched as the students stood and left the hall, first years following the prefects to their new homes.

"_I expect you to keep an eye on her during your mission for me. I recognize that name from somewhere."_

=^.^=

He walked quickly down the grassy green hill to the small hut down below, his ginger friend by his side. He had only just received his letter not long ago from Hagrid, asking him to join him for tea. He had readily accepted, eager to meet with his friend once more. They quickly made it to the door and he gave a confident knock now that he was away from the admiring students that always talked about him. The large giant quickly opened the door and greeted them.

"'Arry, Ron, how are ye two?" Harry quickly sat and launched into how he believed Professor to hate him. He ignored Ron for the time being as the nervous boy looked at Fang, Hagrid's fierce and vicious looking dog.

"Just, I don't get what I did to make him hate me so much! If he wanted the answers, he should've just asked Hermione." He ignored as Ron mumbled 'know-it-all' under his breath, clearly remembering there Transfiguration class where she had been the only one able to complete the assignment. And on her first try. He pushed the slightly bitter thought from mind and listened as Hagrid began to speak.

"Now 'Arry, the good professor don't have anything against ye, yer just overreactin'. it's his way o' showin' ye who's boss. Nothin' more." Harry nodded at the logic, though he didn't agree. He looked away form the giant as he pulled the tea kettle from the stove. Instead, his gaze settled onto that days _Daily Prophet._ He blinked in surprise at a particular article and quickly snatched the paper off the table to read it.

He remembered the vault in Gringotts that it spoke of, he was there the day it was robbed. Hagrid had emptied not hours before the robbing. He tilted his head in curiosity before the giant setting a cup of tea in front of him distracted him from the paper.

=^.^=

The girl pushed some more hair behind her ear as she walked nervously beside Neville Longbottom, her only friend, to their first flying lesson. She had never flown, the highest she had ever been was when she swung on the swing in the park by her home or when she climbed one of the surrounding trees. She gulped as she stopped with the other students and waited for Madame Hooch to appear, thinking instead over the classes that she had so far exceeded at to distract her mind.

She was in the middle of remembering the charms class where she had been the first and only to succeed on her first try in the class on mastering the levitation charm when Madame Hooch appeared, giving the order for everyone to stand by their brooms. This was the moment the girl dreaded. She nervously walked up to her broom and did as instructed, firmly commanding the broom to get up.

As it simply rolled around on the ground, she wondered if perhaps she would be excused from this particular due to the fact that she simply couldn't do it. She nearly jumped in joy when she realized Neville was creating a commotion until she realized that he was in serious in trouble.

She watched in complete and utter horror as her friend rose shakily on his broom and it slowly and jerkily moves about until her dear friend was thrown from the broom. She took off in a dead run, thanking all the exercise the swings gave her legs as she took the lead of the class and arrived first at Neville's side. She dropped to his side and leaned down to see if he was even alive. She fell to the side, barely catching herself as Madame Hooch pushed her way to the boy.

Draco watched in satisfaction as the mud blood, as he dubbed her, nearly fell to the ground. He was glad that oaf of a boy had been injured, barely holding in a chuckle as the boy whimpered as he was dragged away to the Hospital wing by Hooch, pathetically holding his injured wrist.

He looked away, curiously spotting an object on the ground, the oaf's Remembral that his grandmum had gotten him he smirked and picked up the silly object, beginning hid insulting of the oversized oaf. He smirked in satisfaction as Potter took his bait and followed him into the air on his broom. A moment later and he chucked the object as far as he could, watching as the brainless idiot took off after the object.

Hermione watched in fear as the boy, Harry Potter, flew through the air after the little ball from Neville's grandmother. They could be expelled and this little between the two would be for naught, a complete waste of their future education. Finally, Harry caught the ball, barely a foot away from the castle.

She thought for a moment, wondering if she should stay here or not. But as she remembered Hooch's order to remain and Rose's order to always follow her teachers orders no matter what, she watched as the rest of the students left after Harry had been taken by Professor McGonagall. She sat down in the warm sun and took out a book to fill the time with.

=^.^=

It had been a while now since the sun had set and, logically, Hermione knew that it was time for her to go inside, she remained so that she may continue to follow both her teacher's and Rose's orders. She sighed and closed the large book she had finished reading, replacing it in her bag. She looked over at the forgotten brooms, and, figuring that she had nothing else to do, she pulled out her short wand and pointed it at a broom on the top of the pile, clearly saying _Wingardium Leviosa _with a swish and flick of her wand.

She was slightly shocked, though, as not one, but the whole pile of brooms lifted into the air together. Experimentally, she moved her wand to the right, watching as the brooms followed the path she directed them in, staying closely packed together in the pile that had been in on the ground. She smiled to herself and began walking towards the broom cupboard.

=^.^=

The nervous servant realized immediately after seeing Potter that the Granger girl wasn't in the hall. He searched for her once more before deciding that he should tell his master of this development.

"_Milord, the girl, Granger, is not here."_

"_Then find her. We can't do anything to Potter yet, not while I'm this weak. The girl, though, we can get rid of her at anytime. Find her, now."_ Quirrel nodded and stood from the table, quickly excusing himself and left the hall, immediately searching for the girls magic.

It took him a while, but with subtle hints from his Lord feeling the connection, he arrived outside to the outdoor classroom of the first year flying lessons. And there he found the Granger girl, sitting on the ground, twirling her wand between her fingers. He watched her for a little while before a sharp pain from his Lord had him moving forward, startling the young girl from her thoughts. She stood quickly to face him.

"Miss Granger, students are not allowed to be out after dark. Tell me, why are you here?" She looked down and said an apology. "I didn't ask for an apology." She looked up with an odd expression, as if deciding between glaring or staying blank. Not able to decide, she settled on looking down again as she gave out an answer.

"Madame Hooch told us that we were not to leave until she told us to when she left with Neville. My guardian, Rose, told me that I was never to disobey an order from a teacher, no matter what. So, I stayed out here." Quirrel nodded and looked at the girl as he awaited an order from his Lord.

"_What is that around her neck? Find out!"_ Not understanding the order, Quirrel hesitated a moment before demanding her necklace. He watched in curiosity as the girl froze before slowly extracting the thin silver chain from her robes, a small locket on the end. It was quite unremarkable, to say the least, and he was loosing interest. As he was preparing to just send the girl away after giving her a detention, his Lord once more spoke.

"_Gain her trust, is that understood? You will do this or suffer the consequences."_

"_But why, milord?"_

"_DO YOU DARE TO QUESTION ME? YOU WILL ABIDE TO WHAT I SAY WITHOUT COMPLAINT!"_ The man nodded nervously, thoroughly confusing the girl in front of him still holding her locket. She listened nervously as the man in front of her suddenly smiled.

"That is all. I apologize for all of my nonsense." He gave a nervous chuckle, waving his hand about. Before quieting. "Just, please, don't break the rules like this again, or I may not be able to let you go as easily." He gave another chuckle and waved the girl away. Taking the opportunity, she quickly walked away, deciding for once not to argue something.

Quirrel sighed once she was gone from sight and slumped onto his knees, the cold of the ground seeping through his robes.

Lord Voldemort thought quietly to himself, blocking his thoughts from his host. He had recognized the necklace almost immediately upon seeing the chain. Seeing the locket only confirmed his thoughts. He remembered now where he had seen the name Granger, it had been on the mailbox outside of the babies house the night he made his final Horcrux.

It all quickly came back to him. The screams and fires all around him as he walked down an empty street to a simple house at the end of the street. He remembered looking into eyes that were just changing, a small tuft of brown hair on the babies head. The man he killed right before he killed the baby.

But obviously, the baby had lived. Somehow, though his intention and spell meant only death, the baby survived. She had done what no other had done, and he hadn't even realized it! Sure, Lily Potter protected her son with love and deflected his spell, but the child itself had not protected itself. Somehow, this little muggle had managed something that no one else had been able to.

But what truly confused him was the fact that the child had become a witch. Now that he knew, she was no witch when he came to the town. He had made sure of it. So how was this child a witch if she truly was a muggle that night?

They hadn't called him a genius for no reason when he was younger. He was indeed intelligent. He had actually looked into the possibility of manifesting useable magic in muggles so that they may hopefully become more useful, maybe as slaves. But that had been shot down nearly immediately. He came to quickly realize that the small amount of magic that muggles possessed was not capable of growing and becoming usable. It wasn't even capable of latching onto a fake source of magic.

That's what had him stumped, he knew it was impossible for a muggle to become a witch. Logically, one would assume that this wasn't the same girl and that this child had simply somehow stumbled onto the locket. But a Horcrux involving a live host was not able to leave the host until the creator of the horcrux removed it themselves.

The Horcrux should have been created the moment the girl was hit with the killing curse. But perhaps, just perhaps, the killing of that man had used that soul to create the Horcrux, therefore leaving the baby alive and creating the Horcrux without his knowledge. Perhaps, if the Hocrux had been created, his soul that he had split had protected it's live host in order to protect itself, as Horcruxes were prone to do.

But it didn't explain how the girl came to be a witch. He would have to ponder upon that more. But for now, he would focus on returning to a body of his own.

=^.^=

**A/N: Ok, I'm going to put this up. Don't worry, I'll put the end of the first year up next(I don't feel I should explain the entire year, just the end. I'll reference the school year that I didn't cover).**

**Note: Ok, I've noticed a few of you have stated that you can't see Hermione being evil. Well, same here. If you noticed, I never once stated that Hermione herself was evil, just her magic. Keep that in mind. I can't tell you anything more on that, but if you think you realize what's going on, I would love if you could PM me(I don't want reviews for that, I don't want a spoiler!)and tell me what you think is going on with Hermione's magic.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR IT'S CHARACTERS.**


	6. Chapter 6

The ginger nervously huddled closer to his two friends as they snuck closer to the third floor corridor. He was terrified. Who wouldn't be? He was eleven years old and headed to a terrifying three headed dog. His protection? The eleven year boy-who-lived and the eleven year old girl know-it-all. So, the boy, whom was nothing special, believed he was right to be scared.

His best friend, Harry Potter, hid his fear well. While not confident in his magical abilities and skills that would most likely be pitted against his feared Potions Professor, he knew that this was the only answer. He had to be stopped. The boys eyes glinted with defiance and determination, the emotions quickly covering his fear.

Yet, the third member of this rag-tag trio was the least afraid. She was confident in her abilities and knowledge, though she knew she was no match for their opponent. She believed her skills and intellect would be enough to safely get her and her new friends away from the enemy.

She thought on how this all started. It started with the troll and how Harry and Ron had saved her and her lying to save the two from trouble. Then, it was Harry's suspicions, Hagrid accidentally letting out information, her spotting the trap-door and telling them about it, Harry seeing the interesting events concerning Professor Snape, and her learning of Nicholas Flamel and the Sorcerer's Stone. And now, here they stood, staring from under the invisibility cloak at the door that would lead the into this new adventure. With a glance to Harry and Ron, she pulled out her short wand and spoke the unlocking spell. Together, the three walked through, pulling the door closed behind them.

=^.^=

The old man looked tiredly at his desk, exhaustion flashing through his eyes as he slowly rubbed his temples. He had known almost immediately that the owl he had received from the ministry was a fake when he arrived. He had come back as quickly as possible. He slowly switched his gaze from the desk to his door as someone entered. Argus Filch and Mrs. Norris. He waited for the grouchy squib to speak.

"Headmaster sir, the third floor corridor has been broken into again." The Headmaster gave a small hum of acknowledgement as he looked off into the distance. After a few moments of silence he looked back at the castle caretaker and smiled.

"Argus, would please get Minerva, Severus, Filius, and Poppy? Thank you." He stood before the man had the chance to limp from the room. The old man looked down to him, and getting the picture, Argus quickly fled from the room, Mrs. Norris by his side.

The smile fell from Albus's face almost immediately as he quickly left the room. Argus would know where to bring the teachers and medi-witch. His robes gently flowed around him in the breeze as he walked the dark hallways. He had known it would only be a matter of time before Hermione figured out what Fluffy was guarding, and he knew it was only a matter of time after that that the trio would go after the stone. And he also knew that they would not survive past the devils snare, even if they managed to live through Fluffy's attack.

He nodded to the four he had requested and once more to Argus as he swiftly walked pass them and through the door to Fluffy.

=^.^=

"Ron!" The girl almost took a step forward before her friend stopped her with a yell.

"Not yet, Hermione. Remember, we are almost there." Hermione nodded reluctantly and watched as Harry stepped forward. The king then dropped his sword. The two young students were momentarily stunned, surprised that they had managed to win. They looked to each other before looking back at Ron. With one more glance at each other, the two ran from the room.

Hermione momentarily paused before continuing with Harry, silently going through the list of teachers protections that they had already gone through. Professor Sprout's Devil's Snare, Professor Flitwick's keys, Professor McGonagall's Chess, so now all they had was Professor Snape and Professor Quirrell before getting to Professor Dumbledore's.

She paused in her thoughts as she thought of the fidgety DADA professor. He had been kind to her, occasionally giving her a few private lessons. It was odd, and it made her nervous. She had no idea what he was looking for, but she knew she wouldn't let him get it. Her eyes hardened and she shook the professor out of mind as they arrived in a room with a stench so high that their eyes watered.

Harry peered around him, looking for the source of the smell. He almost gasped as he spotted a troll bigger than the one he and Ron had fought, laying on the floor with a bloody lump on his head. He looked over to Hermione and grabbed her hand with his free one. He tugged her forward and began stepping over one of the overly large legs. He helped his friend over and without a glance, they ran from the room into the next room that was sure to hold Snape's protection.

He looked around him in surprise as he tightened his hold on Hermione's wrist, looking at the black and purple fires. He turned back to Hermione as she gave a surprised sound and picked up a scroll of parchment. She began to read out as he looked to the seven oddly shaped bottles.

"_Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind,_

_Two of us will help you, whichever you would find,_

_One among us seven will let you move ahead,_

_Another will transport the drinker back instead,_

_Two among our number hold only nettle wine,_

_Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line._

_Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore,_

_To help you in you choice, we give you these four clues:_

_First, however slyly the poison tries to hide_

_You always find some on nettle wine's left side;_

_Second, different are those who stand at either end,_

_But if you would move onward, neither is your friend;_

_Third, as you see clearly, all are different size,_

_Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides;_

_Fourth, the second left and the second on the right_

_Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight."_

Harry sighed in defeat and looked to Hermione, prepared to comfort her. He stared in shock at her smiling face, watched in surprise as she gave a sigh of relief. He looked into her eyes as she turned to face him.

"Harry, have I ever told you that I love logic?"

=^.^=

Blue eyes that normally sparkled looked on in slight shock as they came upon the chess room. Pieces were strewn about in destruction, fires were off to the side, lighting the frightening room. But what shocked him the most was the crownless white king. They had won. Those three eleven year old children had won. He hadn't even expected them to make it pass Fluffy, much less make it here! He ignored Poppy as she fussed over the Weasley boy. He watched in a daze as Filius and Poppy left with the boy, Filius levitating him.

He looked down to Minerva as she looked up at him nervously.

"Albus, we must find Mister Potter and Miss Granger. The troll is next, I…I don't believe they could have made it pass it. They may be injured." He nodded and began to quickly walk forward, Minerva and Severus following closely behind him. He stopped immediately upon seeing the unconscious troll. He looked up from it as he heard a small squeak of surprise. His eyes locked onto the piercing eyes of Hermione Granger.

=^.^=

He stared into his green eyes as he stared into the mirror. He watched as the terrified replica of himself slowly began to smile. He held up a red stone and placed it inside his pocket. At that moment, Harry felt something heavy drop into his pocket. His eyes widened. He had it. He had the Sorcerer's Stone.

"Well? What do you see?" His professor asked impatiently, no longer stuttering. Harry silently thanked that he was good up with coming up with lies on the spot.

"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore. I-I've won the House Cup." The man cursed to himself and pushed him aside. He slowly began walking away as he spoke to himself. Suddenly, a voice came form Quirrell again, though this was not the Professor's voice.

"He lies…He lies!…" Harry gulped as his professor turned around.

=^.^=

"Miss Granger, what are you doing down here?" He watched the girl in surprise as she scrambled over the trolls leg and ran up to him, answering as she did so.

"Professor, Ron is injured, we need to help him. And Harry! I helped him through the door. He told me to find you, that you would be able to help him." He nodded, and motioned for Minerva to follow him. He began walking away when Hermione once more spoke up. "Professor, the flames…"

"The flames, Miss Granger, will allow me entrance. Don't fear." She nodded and watched her Headmaster leave the troll room, Professor McGonagall right behind him. She turned her brown eyes to her potions professor once their forms disappeared. He was already looking down at her.

"Do you know who is after the stone, professor? We thought it was you." The man felt like laughing at her bluntness, but he withheld. This was no time to laugh. He nodded slightly to the girl.

"Professor Quirrell. How did you make it through all of this?" He narrowed his eyes as he gave a wave around them. He was far to curious on this matter. How had three eleven year olds get through this?

"Well, we already knew that Fluffy was easily distracted by music and would immediately fall asleep. A harp was already playing when we arrived, so we went to the trapdoor." He remembered the harp standing in the corner as they went through, Filius charming it to play. "Fluffy woke up, but we made it through the trapdoor. We fell on the Devil's Snare. Luckily, I remembered to relax and I was let down. Harry followed my orders and he was let down to. Ron was, well, he was having a slight panic attack. I remembered that the plants hated light, so, yes. I helped him down." She paused and rubbed her nose before looking up again. "Sir, do you mind if we move somewhere else? The smell…" He nodded and lead the way from the room.

He turned almost immediately upon entering the chess room. "Continue, Miss Granger." She nodded. With a thoughtful glance to the ceiling, she resumed her story.

=^.^=

As his professor screamed in agony, Harry came to a sudden realization. Quirrell couldn't touch him, it hurt him to much. He looked down to his hands and then looked back to his professor. He lunged at the man and held on tight, careful to make sure he wasn't thrown off. The pain in his head grew, but he couldn't let go. If he did, the professor would kill him. And so, he held on. The pain in his head continued to grow.

After what seemed like hours, the screams seemed to escalate even more. The pain in his head blocked out his vision until, finally, all he knew was black.

=^.^=

The bushy haired girl waved from the train station at her two friends. Ron waved back before walking away with his family. Harry also waved before running through the barrier to the muggle world to meet with his aunt and uncle. She sighed as she was finally alone. She looked around at the still busy station before, she too, left. She walked quickly through crowds of people, pulling her luggage behind her. Her arm was tired by the time she reached the street and waited for the bus. Rose was waiting for her at home, she had sent an owl earlier, telling her she had a surprise.

=^.^=

Rose waited quietly on the porch, slowly rocking back and forth on the chair. Her eyes scanned the street, waiting for the bus that would bring Hermione. Her eyes locked onto a tall purple bus. The Knight Bus. She raised an eyebrow. She was unaware that Hermione even knew about this bus. She waited for the girl to walk out.

Severus gathered his stuff quickly and left the bus, wanting to get away from the obnoxious drivers. He walked down the street slowly as the bus took off. He looked up to the woman sitting on her porch, green eyes piercing into his own dark ones. He paused for a moment and stared at the woman. She stopped her rocking and stared at him.

"Boy."

"Miss Callaway." she narrowed her eyes slightly.

"I'm still your elder, boy. You will address me without the sarcasm. Understood?" He wondered why he was taking this and why he was nodding while muttering a 'Yes, Ma'am'. It had been maybe ten years since he last spoke with her, and even longer since he was ordered around by her. It baffled him that, as a grown man, he still followed her orders. "Now, go home. I will be leaving tomorrow. You will not come around here until we are gone." He cocked his head to the side. She had said 'we'. What had she meant? But that was no matter. He didn't want to deal with her, he may as well follow her orders.

She watched as he murmured another 'Yes, Ma'am' and then left. She sighed in relief and resumed her rocking as she waited for the bus to arrive.

=^.^=

"Hermione, have you packed?"

"Yes, Rose, but why am I packing? Are we moving?" the woman shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. The girl had been asking this for the longest time. It was time she answered.

"You want to be a good witch, right?" she nodded. "So, you want to have good pronunciation, right?" she again nodded, more enthusiastically. "Well then, you're lucky I have a friend in Rome, who just happens to be a wizard. You'll be learning from him this summer." Her eyes widened before she smiled and launched herself at her. Rose yelped before patting the girl on the head.

Hermione pulled away and began running around the house, collecting more things. Rose waited until she was before she lifted her sleeve off of her arm to look at the fresh cuts. It was that wand. She hoped that this training would bring it under control.

=^.^=

Rose looked behind her, searching for that girl. She sighed as she spotted her pressed against a window, watching as a plane took off. She walked over and grabbed the girl. She began firing off questions, which Rose ignored.

She pulled the curious girl onto the plane and sat her down, still ignoring the questions coming at her in rapid succession. And so began their summer travels.

=^.^=

**A/N: Ok, so did you all enjoy this? I actually wrote this chapter about five times. I'm still not to proud of this chapter, but I thought this was as good as it was going to get, so yeah…anyways, thanks for reading!**

**How was everyone's Christmas?**

**Note: The riddle thing on the scroll in Snape's protection room was directly from the book. I do not own it, it is not mine, I am not genius enough for it, so on and so forth.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR IT'S CHACTERS.**


	7. Chapter 7

"Settle down child! My friend is old, like me. He expects only the best of behaviors. You better be good if you want him to teach you." The girl nodded quickly and shut her mouth. She straightened her back and folded her hands behind her back, waiting obediently beside Rose at the door to her friends home by the beach. They both waited patiently.

An older man, though he still had a head full of dark black hair with only a few grey streaks, answered the door. His eyes were a dark blue set in tanned skin. He was tall and held his back straight. Hermione guessed, using her height as measurement, that he was around two meters tall. She looked up at him as his blue eyes settled on her. She gulped slightly at the man, his height was intimidating, she only reached a little ways up his chest, Rose even shorter.

But the woman warmly greeted her friend, giving him a hug. He returned with all politeness before stepping back and returning to his personal space. He opened the door wider and gestured us inside. They followed him into the tall mansion. She looked around, discreetly, at the magnificent place. It was so beautiful!

The room we ended up in, a sitting room, was bright. A full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows opened us to the view of the open, blue ocean. Every space of wall unoccupied with windows or doors was filled with rows upon rows of books. The couches they now sat in were soft and simple, brown in color. The floor was marble, brown, white, and creamy tan. The young girl then focused on the man began speaking to Rose, not understanding the words passing between them.

"Salve, amice. Quid agis?" His accent was heavy and strong, rolling thickly around the room.

"Bonum et te?" Hers was much softer. More lilting, her Irish accent coming through. He smiled softly as he settled somewhat into his chair.

"Bonum. Haec puella?" He glanced over to Hermione for the briefest of moments.

"Etiam." He nodded and shifted in his chair so that he was facing her, sun glaring around his tall form. He spoke again, this time in English.

"My name is Adelais de Romeliolo. You are Hermione Granger." she nodded, though it seemed pointless to do so. "And you wish to learn from me." Again she nodded, though more confident this time. He studied the girl in front of him for a moment. "Then you shall learn." She smiled happily and nodded once more, simply because she didn't know what else to do.

=^.^=

She stood outside, in a garden that seemed to spread over tons of acres, in front of Adelais. He was looking down at her as he began his first lesson on the girls second day here.

"A strong wizard, or in your case witch, must first be strong physically before they can stand for their magic to grow. Many wizards and witches ignore this and force their magic to grow without allowing their body to become fit first. In this case, most wizards and witches become tired quickly and unable to perform spells to their full potential. Many become depleted of their energy and magical supplies and black out while their body recovers." he paused in his speech and looked at the bushy haired girl. "Do you understand, Hermione?" The girl nodded quickly and resumed. "The first thing you will be doing is weeding this entire garden. I have told the workers not to do so for the past week, so you will have plenty of work. Most of the plants here are magical. And so, many are dangerous. I expect none of them to be damaged. Known of the plants will be harmed. Pick all weeds. There will be consequences for not doing so." and with that, he turned and left down the stone path.

Hermione stared after him, blinking in slight shock, before turning to look at the massive garden encased in a tall, vine covered stone wall. She sighed and walked through the gates to begin her work.

=^.^=

It was dark by the time she returned to the mansion. Her hair was now in a high, messy bun, curls sticking out haphazardly. Her shirt was taken off to reveal the tank top she wore underneath and her capris were rolled up into shorts. Dirt covered her hands and arms, bare feet and legs, face and neck. Her tired brown eyes looked up at the tall man sitting in a chair, watching as she set down her shoes. He glanced over her body to the many cuts she had, most centered on her hands, though she had many covering her arms, legs, feet and face.

He stood and walked over to the waiting girl. He nodded down to her and motioned for her to follow him to the garden, and, ignoring her aching muscles, she followed him back up the long, windy path. Her body ached all over. She had skipped breakfast, lunch, and dinner in favor of finishing the massive garden. Her stomach now felt shriveled and as if it were eating itself. She had been working since the sun had just risen. The sun had long since sunk under the horizon.

Adelais walked his garden paths in slight shock. They were beautiful, easily on par with his usual gardeners. The girl had even swept all the weeds away even though he had not asked her. He took a glance back at the girl walking silently behind him before nodding to himself. She was a worthy student. He steadily made his way back to his home after seeing there were no weeds. He stopped her upon entering the front room.

"You will meet me here before the sun rises. From there, you will eat your breakfast and then weed the garden again. After lunch, we will begin our next lessons. Now, go to bed." He held up a hand as she looked ready to ask something. "You will not ask a question unless inside a lesson or until I give you permission to do so outside of a lesson. And furthermore, you will not be receiving any food. You must learn to deal with hunger and the consequences of neglecting nourishment. Now, go to bed. You are permitted to take a bath." She nodded and walked slowly from the room.

=^.^=

She walked back down from the garden as the was at its highest. She had picked any weeds that had sprung up over the night. Her body was still aching from the previous day, yet despite this, she found the long walk back to the mansion to be no bother to her. Not knowing the reason for this, she pushed it out of mind for now and entered the mansion, walking quickly to the dining room where Rose and Adelais waited. She flashed a smile and quickly sat down at a place that Rose nodded to.

The three ate in silence, the workers quickly serving them. Hermione was happy to see that they were not House Elves. She found their treatment to be terrible and the creatures were to prone to self-injury. These worker, which were human, looked happy as they served them quietly, occasional glancing at the girl seated at the table.

"Hermione," She looked up in surprise at Adelais, not expecting him to talk during a meal. "it is time for your next lesson." She nodded, realizing that everyone's plates were empty and Rose was already gone. She stood and followed the man back to the room full of books, which she assumed was his library. "Please, sit down." She quickly sat on the couch and watched as he settled himself in a chair by the windows.

"Now, we will work on your language skills. Before a wizard or witches magic can grow, they must first know the basics. They must not only know the basics, they must understand the basics. They must learn the language. And so, before you may progress as a powerful witch, you must learn the languages." though she was slightly disappointed at not being able to do magic, she was happy enough to learn something.

=^.^=

It had been an entire seven weeks since they had come here to Rome. Hermione woke up at the same time everyday, five a.m., and worked the same schedule: eat breakfast, weed garden, eat lunch, language lessons with Adelais, have dinner, water garden, shower, and then go to bed at precisely eleven p.m.. Her schedule never changed, never fluctuated in it's punctuality. Her days were long and exhausting, always ending with her covered in dirt and cuts and a fuller mind.

But she was happy. Happier than when she had simply believed herself to be a muggle. And her magic was more comfortable. She felt more at ease with it, as if she was connecting with it more. And she felt closer than ever with her wand, though she had never used it. It seemed that simply understanding the languages of magic and all that physical labor actually had worked. Though she shouldn't have felt surprised, Adelais was very knowledgeable.

Rose was also happy. Glad that she could spend time with her only true magical friend and glad that she could now touch Hermione without being hurt by the girls wand. Her friend, aware of the oddity of the girl, quickly assured her that his lessons were indeed working to mellow her magic and cleanse her wand.

Adelais himself was surprised with the girl. He knew what her wand was made of and that wands strictly reflected the inner workings of witches and wizards. He understood Thoth, the girl easily picked things up, whether it was language or anything he told her. He understood Linden, her magic did lash out at anyone that angered her or even touched her. He could even understand BasCelik, the girls magic, though much lighter, was still vastly evil and filled with maliciousness. But he couldn't understand the Emere's.

She didn't seem particularly connected to the dead. She didn't say things that were odd, as if more fit with someone else. She seemed like a perfectly normal child. But, maybe one day he would find out.

Currently, the three were standing in the sitting room that was host to Hermione's language lessons. Adelais stood calmly as he looked to his friend and the girl he was quickly growing fond of. Rose looked up at him with a smile and Hermione looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Quid fles, parvule?" she sniffled before answering in perfect Latin, her accent soft and slightly lilting, similar to Rose's.

"Ecce ego desidero." He smiled down to the girl and placed a hand on her thin shoulder.

"Obviam ibimus denuo, parvule." She gave a watery smile and nodded. He turned from her and looked to Rose.

"Vibedo vos æstatis, amice." She smiled and nodded, pulling him down to give him a quick peck on the cheek. He smiled and walked them to the door, it was time for them to go home. Hermione looked back at him one more time before entering the cab that was waiting to take them back to the airport. Adelais watched until the cab was out of sight before walking back inside his home.

=^.^=

"Come along Hermione, I want to see you off." Rose turned slightly to look at the girl trying to keep up while lugging her large trunk behind her. She sighed and slowed in her pace to allow the girl to catch up. Together, they continue to the station.

Upon arriving, Rose quickly helps Hermione get her bag into the train. The girl decided that, since she still had some time, she would wait a little while with Rose. The woman was only to happy to comply with her wish. They began conversing.

"Do you have your seeds?" Adelais had given Hermione some seeds from his plants so that she would be able to continue her physical work during school.

"Of course. I think I'm going to plant them near the Forbidden Forest, the opposite side from Hagrid's hut." Rose nodded and glared at someone that peeked over to stare and listen to the two females.

"Quo semen numquid?" Hermione smiled and relaxed slightly, happy that no one would be able to listen in on their conversation.

"Dittany, Venomous Tentacula, Mimbulus Mimbletonia, Dirigible plum, Shrivelfig, et rosis." Rose nodded, happy with her selections. She looked away from the girl as the train gave a whistle. It was only then that she realized they were some of the last people out here. She turned back to Hermione.

"Hermione, it's time to go. I will see you next summer." Hermione nodded and swiftly left to get on the train, glancing back with a last smile, before she hopped on. They had prearranged for her not to come home for Christmas, Hermione needed to take care of her plants.

Rose watched as the beautiful train pulled out of the station before turning and quickly leaving the slowly emptying station.

=^.^=

Hermione sat nervously in her seat, looking around her nervously for Harry and Ron. The youngest Weasley and only female child of the family sat next to her, Ginny Weasley. The eleven year old girl had just been sorted into her house and she looked quite nervous as she spoke to her older twin brothers.

But Hermione continued looking around for the two boys. But they never came. She hadn't even seen them on the train. Something wasn't right. She sighed and tried to shake herself of any thoughts of something bad happening to them as she was dragged into a conversation with the Weasleys.

=^.^=

"Harry! Ron! Just where do you to think you have been?" Ron opened his mouth to speak, Harry blushing beside him as the occupants of the Gryffindor common room looked on in curiosity. The fiery, bushy haired girl only interrupted, holding up a hand. "NO! no excuses. I am disappointed in the both of you. I expect a full explanation for your behavior tomorrow, but now, I want you two to go to bed." They looked at each other in confusion before looking at their female friend whom was now much tanner. She seemed to suddenly deflate. "You two look exhausted."

The two boys smiled and walked forward. Together, they hugged her tightly and told her goodnight before leaving the room and going to their dorms. She too, left for her dorms to gather her seeds.

When she came down the stairs a few hours later, the common room was completely empty and the fire burned lowly in the fireplace. She left quickly, patting the bag of seeds in her pocket. She turned to the Fat Lady.

"Um, excuse me?" The woman, though not stunning, was still beautiful. She stirred slightly in her picture for a few moments before slowly opening her eyes.

"What do you want? You're out after hours." Hermione smiled sheepishly for a moment before straightening her back and wiping her face of nervousness, replacing it instead with confidence and determination.

"I know I'm out after hours. But I have business I need to attend to. Will you let me back in in two hours?" The Fat Lady pondered this for a few moments before giving a nod and waving the girl off. The girl thanked her and quickly walked away. The Fat Lady waited a few moments before calling Jonathan from the next frame over.

=^.^=

"Albus, wake up old man." But the wizard only gave a slight groan op protest as his eyes scrunched. The painting of a handsome man stood above the bed of the Headmaster. His auburn hair blew in the unfelt breeze as his brown violet eyes stared at the sleeping wizard. He sighed before yelling as loud as he could to get the wizard up.

Albus shot up in his bed, wand in hand as he searched his room for the source if the scream. He turned to look at the picture behind his bed to see a man laughing. He sighed placed his wand down as he recognized the face of Jonathan, a man who usually hung around the Fat Lady.

"What do you want?" the man smirked, tempted to bother the man, before thinking better of it.

"I come with a message from the Fat Lady. A student, second year Hermione Granger, has just left the common room with the intention of returning in an hour." Albus sighed and tried to think of a teacher that would still be up that he could get to follow the girl. But his mind only came up with Severus. He sighed and looked to the smirking painting.

"Find Severus. If he is awake, tell him to find and follow Miss Granger, then tell me. If he is not, tell me." Jonathan nodded and quickly ran from the painting. Albus sighed with relief and waited for the man to return.

=^.^=

"Aa, there you are, Severus." The man in question sighed before turning to the painting. He knew before the painting spoke what he wanted. Another Gryffindor had snuck out and Albus wanted him to make sure the student didn't get into any trouble.

"What do you want?" The painting smirked and Severus knew his suspicions were correct. "Fine, who is the culprit?"

"Hermione Granger, second year." Severus nodded and waved the man away. The painting smiled and disappeared, probably going to go tell Albus that he accepted.

With a quick charm, Severus found the girl to be standing outside, near the lake. He quickly turned the spell off and set off to find the girl.

He came upon her quickly. She was kneeling on the ground, doing something. He quickly cast a disillusionment charm over himself and walked forward silently and around the girl to see what she was doing. He tilted his head slightly in confusion as he watched her dig a hole with a small shovel. A bag lay beside her. She seemed to be completely focused upon her work, unaware of her surroundings.

Deciding it would most likely be a while until he would leave, he leaned against a tree on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest and watched his student work.

=^.^=

It was an hour and a half later when Hermione finally allowed herself to sit back and take a break. She tiredly wiped the sweat off her brow. But the work was worth it. She now had ten seeds of each plant growing. She looked around at the little spot she had chosen.

It was actually a little inside of the Forbidden Forest, but only enough to hide the garden from a glance. The spot was close to the lake. You had to walk over a marshy part on the edge of the Forest to get here. Hermione could see the dark lake from where she was kneeling. She sighed once more and forced herself to stand. She silently thanked all the work that Adelais had had her doing over the summer. She walked to the lake and slowly began filling a stick-turned-bucket with water. She walked back to her garden and watered each plant carefully, acutely aware of the amount of water each plant needed. She stood back again and pulled out her wand, pointing it at her garden.

"Cave Inimicum!" She waved her wand around her little garden and a small, shimmering light burst from her wand before settling into nothing. "Protego Totalum!" Again, she waved her wand around the same area. A bright flash burst forth this time, disappearing much quicker than before. She lowered her wand and looked around at her garden before slowly walking back to the castle, her body aching and she feeling slightly light headed.

Severus almost forgot to follow the girl, so shocked was he. He wasn't even aware of the first spell she had uttered, though he vowed to search the spell, and he knew the second spell to be at least NEWT level. He wondered to himself where she had found it.

He paused as he began to follow her to look back at her garden. It was a curious selection, but a useful one nonetheless, he had to give the girl that. He wondered as to where she had gotten the seeds, especially the Dittany…

But now was not the time for that. Instead, he turned from the garden and quickly followed the girl, careful to avoid where she had cast her protection charms.

=^.^=

**A/N: Ok! This was incredibly long! But I did it! Anyways, I have all of the Latin translations and spell descriptions below. Be warned, I'm don't have perfect Latin, but I think it is good enough.**

**LATIN PHRASES:**

"**Salve, amice. Quid agis?" - Hello, dear friend. How are you?**

"**Bonum et te?" - Good, and you?**

"**Bonum. Haec puella?" - Good. Is this the girl?**

"**Etiam." - Yes**

"**Quid fles, parvule?" - Why do you cry, little one?**

"**Ecce ego desidero." - I will miss you.**

"**Obviam ibimus denuo, parvule." - We will see each other again, little one.**

"**Vibedo vos æstatis, amice." - I will see you next summer, dear friend.**

"**Quo semen numquid?" - What seeds did you bring?**

**SPELLS:**

**Cave Inimicum - a spell used to strengthen an enclosure against enemies**

**Protego Totalum - provides protection of some form for an area or dwelling**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR IT'S CHACTERS.**


	8. Chapter 8

"Ok, well, you see, the barrier to the station had blocked itself against us." Harry was sitting beside Ron, nodding, as the two boys tried to convince their dear friend about why they weren't on the train.

"Yeah, so we decided to take the car." Hermione by this time, was already rubbing her temples in an attempt to stop the coming headache.

"Obviously, we made it here. But, well, we ran into the Whomping Willow." She was now taking deep breathes to stop herself from throttling both boys.

"Snape found us when we escaped. That stupid git was trying to get us expelled! But, luckily, Dumbledore saved us!" Harry finished their little story and sat back, satisfied that their friend would pity them and dote upon them.

"It's Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore." The boys looked at each other. This was not the beginning of a happy conversation. "I'm not helping you two with your homework for the next two weeks, understood?" The two boys groaned but nodded, nonetheless. As Hermione was preparing to talk once more, Professor McGonagall came with their Time Tables.

"Miss Granger." She handed over the parchment. "Mister Potter." Again, she handed over a parchment. "Mister Weasley." She handed his timetable over before moving onto the next group of students.

"Well, boys, I'm off to my first class. I suggest you two go to your classes too." They watched her leave before turning to each other to compare Timetables. They were happy to see that they, once again, shared their classes together.

=^.^=

Hermione quickly found her seat at the front of the classroom before pulling out her supplies. Setting her book, quill, and parchment on her desk, she looked to the front of the room. Her professor, Professor Babbling, was pacing in front of the board. She didn't seem to notice that Hermione was there, she seemed to believe the classroom was still empty. Hermione cleared her throat, thinking it was best to make the teacher aware so as not to let the woman be surprised by her class. The woman jumped slightly and turned around.

"Oh, hello. Who are you?" The girl smiled slightly at the curious teacher.

"Hermione Granger. Second year." The woman paused in searching her schedule.

"This class is for third years and up only." Hermione nodded.

"I know. I have permission from Professor McGonagall to take this class." The woman nodded her head, confused, but figured she didn't have a choice if the Deputy Headmistress gave the girl permission. She turned from the smiling Gryffindor as the rest of the class - only five more students - filed into the classroom.

=^.^=

Hermione and Ron sat on the grass below the practicing Gryffindor Quidditch team. Ron watched on in jealousy, wishing he could be up there. But he was happy enough to watch them for now. On the other hand, Hermione was fairly bored. This was the second weekend into school and she and Ron were once more watching the Gryffindor team practice. Nothing against Harry, but she had absolutely no interest in the game.

Instead, she was reading a book on charms and how to create them. It was a fairly theoretical book, no set way on how to create the charms. But it was interesting nonetheless. Occasionally, she would write notes on things that seemed to have an actual base to them. She ignored Ron, whom would occasionally exclaim about something one of the players did.

Soon, the two turned around as they heard a group of people walking to them. The Slytherin team. Ron immediately stood and glared at the group. Moments later and the Gryffindor team was standing with him. They noticed the brooms.

"Like our brooms, Weasley? Bet they're better than any you've ever thought of having." A sneering cruel voice came from within the midst of the team. The blonde, handsome face of Draco Malfoy came into view.

"Shut up, Malfoy." That was Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor captain. The rest of the team glared with the captain. Hermione remained sitting on the grass, watching the argument as the two teams began throwing insults at each other. It seemed, that at some point in time, Draco noticed her watching them. He sneered and turned to look down at her.

"What are you looking at, you filthy little mud blood?" Everything seemed to freeze the moment the last word was uttered. The Slytherin team continued snickering, occasionally patting their knew seeker on the back. The Gryffindor team, after a pause of shock, began yelling, some being held back by their fellow teammates. Ron immediately pulled out his wand.

"Eat slugs, Malfoy!" Then, a green light began around his wand. But something was wrong. The area where the tape was holding his wand in place glowed brightly before the charm went backwards, hitting Ron with the green light. Everyone turned as the ginger haired boy held his stomach, making vomiting sounds. All those in the area grimaced in disgust as the boy hunched over and a slug fell to the ground.

The Slytherin team laughed harder at the boy, beginning to walk away. Harry and Hermione immediately rushed to their friend and began helping him to the castle.

"We'll see you tomorrow Potter. Hope he get's better." Harry barely nodded to his captain, to worried about helping his friend to properly respond. The rest of the team walked slowly away from the three friends, occasionally glancing back.

=^.^=

Hermione tiredly climbed out of bed on that Thursday morning, September 19th, 1992. Her thirteenth birthday. She smiled as she spotted the two owls standing outside her window, patiently waiting for her to let them in. doing so, the two owls flew to her bed and dropped their messages before standing on the night table, waiting for treats and her replies. She opened the first one. The scrawl inside was neat and flowery.

_Hermione-_

_I hope your birthday is well. I've sent a few books to Hogsmeade, you should be getting the package soon. Happy Birthday._

_-Rose Callaway._

It was just like her, really, to leave such a short letter. The woman wasn't big on talking or giving out her emotions freely. But she was a nice woman nonetheless. Hermione turned to the second, larger, owl.

_Parvule-_

_Utinam felicem natalem. Credo fueris continuam studiis opus tuum sum nova disciplina tibi. incipit crescere vestrae magicae. quinque tibi nova creabit carmina / carmina / hexes quicumque volueris facere. creatio carmine aperie anima, corpus et crescit magica. exspecto ut dicas mihi tui profectum._

_-Adelais de Romeliolo_

The girl squealed with delight as she clutched the letter to her chest. She danced in circles to her trunk and dug around for some food to give the owls. The owls were only to happy to leave the loud girl after they ate their snacks, without replies.

But Hermione was absorbed in her thoughts of what type of spells or charm she should create. Her mind was a whirl of circles as she mechanically dressed in her school robes and pulled her bag onto her shoulder. After doing so and slipping on her shoes, she walked down the stairs.

"HERMIONE!" She nearly fell at the sound of two people screaming her name. She shook herself from her thoughts to smile at her two friends as they tackled her into a hug, telling her 'Happy Birthday' repeatedly. She smiled and hugged the two boys back before pulling away. Together, with smiles on their faces, they walked down to breakfast.

=^.^=

Hermione happily sat down in her first class of the day: Double Potions with Professor Snape. Her friends, whom sat beside her, hated the class with a passion. They glared at the dark teacher as he walked around the room, watching as the students began their first assignment of summarizing chapter five and six into an essay. The girl happily began her work.

The dark man slowly walked through his classes occasionally delivering a harsh remark to students whom he thought deserved it, which were all of the Gryffindors. He smirked as he came to the 'amazing golden trio'. He looked first over Potter's shoulder.

"Really, Potter? Are you so incapable of using your brain that you must instead recopy the words? Hmm, ten points from Gryffindor." He moved on, knowing that the Gryffindors were now glaring at him. He looked over Weasley's choulder next. "Weasley, how do you expect me to grade you if I can't even read what you've written? Restart. And ten points from Gryffindor for lack of handwriting skills, something all second years should have." He sneered at the fuming boy, silently laughing in his mind. "Do you wish to add something?" The boy only looked away and back down to his now blank piece of parchment. Severus smirked and moved onto the third member of the trio.

He stood watching her for a few moments as she continued to right hastily on her parchment. She didn't seem to realize he was standing behind her. By this time, the Gryffindors had looked away, probably figuring he had nothing to say. And he really didn't. The girl wrote quickly, already moving onto the second chapter of the assignment. Her notes were detailed and written nicely on the page. There was nothing that he could fault her on. He sighed and moved on, quickly taking points from Neville Longbottom instead.

=^.^=

Harry left quickly from the Deathday party, sneaking out into the dark hallway by himself. He sighed in relief and began walking, trying to decide on where he should go. But then, he heard the voice again. That disturbing, terrifying voice that seemed to come from the walls. He gulped before deciding that, for once, he was going to follow it and get to the bottom of this.

Running down the halls, the messy black haired teen chased after the voice, all the way to the second floor. Finally, he stopped when the voices disappeared. He panted in exhaustion and began to look around him, not recognizing the area he was in. His eyes fell onto the frozen cat and the bloody words on the wall.

_The Chamber of Secrets has been opened._

_Enemies of the heir, beware._

=^.^=

"Hmm…ok, leeches…oh darn, where did I put them?…" The two boys listened as she muttered to herself, looking about the slew of ingredients she had with her. "Ah! There they are!" And she continued with her brewing, occasionally adding more things. The boys, having nothing to do, instead talked about Quidditch. Hermione ignored them as she did the final touches for the day.

She stood and turned to the boys, whom took a while to realize she was finished with her brewing.

"Oi, is it ready?" The girl rolled her eyes at her ginger friend.

"No, Ron. We've only been at this for two weeks! We still have two more." They both groaned though they reluctantly nodded. Hermione smiled and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. "Well, I'm off. I'll see you two in the morning!" And with that, she disappeared from the room.

Her hair, tied in a ponytail, trailed behind her as she jogged outside to her garden, not noticing the portraits around her, whispering.

=^.^=

"Albus!" A handsome young man sang out. The old man, as we know to be Albus, sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before turning around.

"Yes, Jonathan?"

"A little lion stalks the night air outside." Albus once more rubbed his head.

"Get the first teacher you come across to watch them." Albus turned from the painting and went back to his work. Jonathan smirked and left to find one of professors.

=^.^=

The bushy haired teen sat back as she finished watering and weeding her garden. She looked at it with pride. It was growing nicely, the shrivelfigs were just blooming, they would be ready to collect soon. The girl briefly wondered where she would store all of her blooms, but, deciding that she would figure that out soon enough, she moved onto her work assigned to her by Adelais.

She sat down against a tree and pulled her work that she had already begun from her bag. The two foot long parchment was crammed full of notes and theories on different spells and charms to create. Deciding that she would work on her first idea, she began.

The dark man, once more disillusioned, watched as the second year waved her wand and spoke Latin, changing after each try. He was curious as to what spell she was trying to learn, it was nothing he recognized. Occasionally, he would hear something he thought he recognized, but it would gone almost immediately. He hadn't taken a lot of time to learn Latin, only a few phrases here and there. He contented himself with watching the girl.

As it was nearing midnight, though, he decided it may be time to reveal himself and take the girl back to her dorm. He briefly questioned himself on why he didn't simply assign her detention, but immediately dismissed the thought. He pushed himself from his tree and opened his mouth to speak, when something happened.

Hermione once more tried yet another wand wave and spoke another phrase.

"Cor Flammis!" She brought her wand from pointing at the ground to point directly in front of and then swinging it out to her right with a slash. Immediately, small flames of many colors shot from her wand and began to float around her.

Hermione could only look around her in shock at the flames, perhaps a dozen. Their colors seemed to blend from one to another as they floated around herself. She watched as they came in contact with her bare hands, leaving only a warm, tingly feeling. She watched as they continuously came in contact with her, eventually shedding her robes as the air around her grew warm. She smiled and laughed, not seeing the man in black suddenly appeared.

Severus watched as the flames appeared and danced around the girl. He had no idea what the charm was, or even what it did. But he knew he was going to look it up. And he also knew that the girl seriously needed to go to bed, as did he. Taking off the charm on himself, he walked towards the girl.

"Miss Granger, give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't give you detentions for the rest of the year." She whirred around and stared at the dark man. He raised a brow at her, keeping note of the flames dancing around her.

"Oh, professor, I didn't know you were out here!"

"Obviously." the girl gulped, wondering what was going to happen. Severus watched as the little flames around her began to quiver and change colors until they were all blues and yellows, a few whites in there. They huddled closer to the girl as she watched him with big brown eyes. He narrowed his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry professor-"

"I care nothing for you insincere apologies, girl. Do you think yourself above the rules the Headmaster put in place, specifically designed to protect the students of this school? Do you think so highly of yourself Miss Granger?" Severus was happy to see the girl at least had the decency to blush. She looked down and shook her head as the flames bunched closer to her and turned deep red and blue. "That's what I thought. You will be having detention with me until the winter holidays, understood?" She nodded. "Good, now, follow me." He turned on his heel and began walking to the castle as the girl followed him after hastily murmuring 'Pack' and pointing her wand at her parchment and bag. She grabbed the bag and jogged to keep up with her tall professor.

=^.^=

The girl, whose skin was now no longer tan, walked down the dark corridor, mirror in one hand and small piece of parchment in the other. A Basilisk! The creature in the walls, well, pipes, was a basilisk! It would explain how only Harry could understand the creature, or even hear it for that matter. It would also explain how all of these people were turning up petrified. It would also explain how Myrtle died after she looked into yellow eyes. It was all explained!

She looked down into her mirror as she rounded another turn. Her eyes locked onto large, yellow eyes. The pupils were nothing but mere slits. The eyes, surrounded by sleek scales, locked onto the girls eyes through the mirror.

As Hermione fell to the floor, faintly hearing the creature slithering away, she knew that she had just seen the Basilisk.

=^.^=

**A/N: Ok, yes, I know, the ending was pretty bad. But I hope everyone enjoyed it nonetheless. Below I have translations.**

**Utinam felicem natalem. Credo fueris continuam studiis opus tuum sum nova disciplina tibi. incipit crescere vestrae magicae. quinque tibi nova creabit carmina / carmina / hexes quicumque volueris facere. creatio carmine aperie anima, corpus et crescit magica. exspecto ut dicas mihi tui profectum.:**

**I wish you a happy birthday. I believe, if you have been continuing your work and studies, I have a new lesson for you. it will begin to make your magic grow. you will create five new spells/charms/hexes, whichever you decide to do. The creation of a spell will open your soul, body, and magic to growing. I expect you to speak to me of your progress.**

**Cor Flammis: Flames of Heart**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR IT'S CHARACTERS.**


	9. Chapter 9

Muddy brown eyes blinked slowly as they searched the room around them. The pale skin surrounding the eyes led to thin lips and bushy brown hair. The hair, at the moment, was more bushy than it usually was, though it hadn't moved in the past months. Her lips were dried and cracked. The girls body was tired and aching as she tried to sit up. After finally succeeding with the help of those around her, she looked at those said, helping people.

Directly beside her was Madame Pomphrey, a flask in hand. Professor Snape stood directly behind the mediwitch, watching the girl as she looked around. Standing at the foot of the bed was Professor Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling happily. And lastly, on the opposite side of the bed, was Professor Sprout, whom was nervously watching Hermione. Finally, the young girl smiled.

"How are you, dear?" She looked to the worried mediwitch standing beside her. The girl cleared her throat before answering.

"Other than everything being stiff, I feel perfectly fine." The woman still looked worried, murmuring to herself that maybe she should get some pain relief potion. Hermione looked away as her Headmaster spoke up.

"Miss Granger, if everything is feeling alright, why don't I walk you down to the Great Hall? I know two boys that have been waiting for you to wake up." She smiled happily to the positively glowing Headmaster and nodded, quickly swinging her legs off of the bed and standing up on wobbly legs. Her potions professor caught her elbow as she nearly fell, the mediwitch already having left by this time. She smiled and mumbled a 'thank you' before following the Headmaster slowly from the room.

=^.^=

Rose watched as the young girl relaxed in her seat as the plane started to take off. She had heard about Hermione being petrified by a basilisk. She was furious beyond belief that she hadn't even learned about it until after Hermione had come back and mentioned it. Rose was sorely tempted to give the old Headmaster a piece of her mind.

Hermione, on the other hand, was perfectly happy. The night after being unpetrified had been perfect when she went to check on her garden. Someone had, apparently, come by and continued to take care of it. They even left directions to an abandoned classroom where her blooms had been properly harvested and stored. And, somehow, they had also gotten around her wards. And she had, luckily, also created another spell that night, adding to the two that she had already made. She only hoped that Adelais would understand why she couldn't complete all five. She hoped he wouldn't be to disappointed.

=^.^=

Hermione walked calmly from the massive garden, the night air around her. Adelais had let his gardeners stop coming a week ago, again, so as to give her plenty of work. He had also, luckily, understood that she could not have completed the five new spells. He expected her to present them to him the next day. She would also be creating two more during the summer so as to complete expanding her magic to where Adelais wanted it.

When she had told him that she couldn't do magic outside of school he had explained that she could, in fact, do so. Seeing that she was out of the country and in the presence of a professor and member of the Wizengamot, she was allowed to use magic as long as she was in his presence. Also, seeing that he had the authority, he temporarily removed the Trace.

The girl was shook from her thoughts as she finally arrived at the large mansion. She smiled happily and walked in after removing her shoes. She walked quietly up to her room, regretting that she didn't grab dinner when it was served. But, she figured, it was of no consequence now. There would be breakfast in the morning.

=^.^=

"Hermione, huc." The bushy haired teen looked up from her recently finished meal to the tall man standing in the door. She nodded and quickly followed him to the sitting room in which her Latin lessons were once held. She sat down and waited for him to once more speak, listening as Rose spoke to a few of the workers in the next room over.

"I wish to see the spells you created, and I want an explanation for each." The girl nodded and stood, quickly removing her wand from the waistband of her pants, missing the disapproving look on Adelais's face.

"Cor Flammis!" She brought her wand from pointing to the floor to pointing directly in front of her, then moved it in a slash to her right. Immediately, the flames once more leaped forth and danced about her. Adelais watched on in curiosity as Hermione began her explanation.

"I'm not sure exactly what this does. The colors seem to replicate what I feel. I created it as a protection charm and a charm to keep me warm. I haven't seen them do to much protection, except against the cold." Adelais nodded in curiosity, still watching the flames as they seemed to dance around the girl in front of him. He motioned for her to continue with her creations. She cancelled the flames and performed the next one.

"Accipitri Oculus!" The girl waved her wand in front of her eyes. Adelais watched as her eyes turned completely brown, the same as her normal eyes, and her pupil grew in size and narrowed into a large slit. He awaited her explanation. "It gives the caster the sight of a hawk. I created it so that it would help me find harmful creatures in my garden." He nodded and once more motioned for her to move on to her last spell, which she did so after cancelling the charm.

"Vespertilio Auris!" He watched as she waved her wand over each ear, nothing seemed to change. He figured she messed up until she explained. "It is an undetectable spell that allows the caster to have the hearing of a bat. I created it so that I could maybe hear what Harry was talking about when he spoke of things talking in the walls." Adelais nodded and motioned for her to sit. After doing so, Adelais spoke after seeing her cancel her charm.

"I'm impressed with what you have done. You're last two spells, the only thing I n=know that is similar is the sensory enhancement spell and the sensory enhancement potion. But neither rise the senses to the level you have done so. I have also never seen anything like the first spell you showed me. I'm interested in seeing what you can do with it." The girl was positively beaming when he finished his miniature speech. Adelais gave a small smile before continuing. "Now, go work on the garden. We have another lesson when you are done." She nodded and quickly ran from the room.

=^.^=

"On top of making you physically strong, expanding your knowledge of spells, and growing your magic, you must not forget the noble art of potions." Hermione tilted her head, a smile on her face. That was what Professor Snape had said about potions. Adelais glanced over to see her face. "Don't expect me to slack off on potions, that is, after all, the class I teach at Transfiguratio Schola et Lenociniis. Unfortunately, potions is not a core class." He looked away for a moment, angrily, before looking back at the curious girl beside him. "Let us begin your lesson."

Hermione looked around herself curiously, they were currently standing by the ocean. It was an area that Adelais privately owned an protected with many wards against muggles and wizards alike. She tilted her head, curious as to what they were doing. Adelais, once more, decided to explain.

"We will be going into the ocean to gather ingredients. You already know many ingredients outside of water, but you can learn of those when you go home. Right now, I need to teach you of the ones underwater. Especially ones that are underwater in salt water. Shall we begin?" The girl nodded and the two entered the water, Adelais performing the bubble-head charm on them both.

=^.^=

It was again a week before school began and Rose and Hermione were once more leaving. Hermione had learned more than she had last summer. She had learned so much about potions and the creatures that harm them. She had also created two more spells: Naso Cani, which heightened the sense of smell to that of a dogs, and Salutem Domus Sub, which creates a large underground chamber, the opening to get to it only visible to the caster, who can then reveal to others.

But at the moment, the only thought going through Hermione's mind was the fact that she was once more leaving the mansion, and Adelais. She had grown even closer to him. She liked him very much. He taught her so many things, things she doubted her teachers would let her learn because they thought her to be inexperienced. But he wanted her to go back to Hogwarts, so she would.

"Hermione, cheer up. You will be here next year." the girl looked up to Rose and nodded. Though she was sad, she knew it was true. She smiled and continued walking with Rose to the cab. They had already said their good byes. As they sat down, Hermione turned and watched the mansion. As the cab moved away, she saw Adelais standing in a window on the second floor, waving. Hermione grinned and turned to sit forward in her seat, knowing Adelais wouldn't see her wave.

=^.^=

"Hermione? Is that really you?" The girl smiled and nodded once more, slowly stroking the orange fur ball in her lap. She had changed over the summer. Her skin was even more tan than it was last summer, and her hair had random blonder curls from being in the sun so much and now reached just below her shoulder blades. She had more freckles decorating her arms and face and back of her neck. She was also more lean, more toned. She was filling into her body more than when she had before school had ended.

"Yes, Ron, it is me." She smiled at him and he smiled back, giving her a pat on the back as they waited for their best friend Harry Potter to arrive.

=^.^=

The girl walked quickly into the hall after her class and hid in an alcove. She pulled an odd object from her shirt, the object hanging on a gold chain. It looked like an hourglass. She grabbed the knob on the side and twisted, making the hourglass move. The scenery around her changed and she charged to her next class, Potions. She tucked the Time-Turner back into her shirt and hoisted her bag higher onto her shoulder.

=^.^=

The large man stood silently in the water of the Black Lake, looking out at the dark waters. He occasionally threw large rocks, attempting to fight off the sadness settled deeply in his soul. He didn't turn as he heard three sets of feet approach. He threw another rock before answering.

"Buckbeak, they…" He paused and took a deep gulping breath, trying to fight off the weight clenching his lungs. "They've sentenced him to death!" A sob finally escaped him, ripping itself from his throat. He could hold them back no longer. The rock he held clenched in his hand fell to the water with a splash. All through the grassy hills of the Hogwarts school and over the waters of the dark lake and far into the dangerous paths of the Forbidden Forest, the cries of the half giant were heard. The three students behind him could only watch on in sadness as their friend's heart ripped itself to shreds.

=^.^=

Hermione slowly walked out of the castle, being careful to avoid the patrolling teachers, her Vespertilio Auris spell in effect. She was in a sort of daze, thinking about the Fat Lady and how she ran from her post as the guard of the Gryffindor House. She wondered if it was really Sirius Black that attacked her. She was worried that her dear friend came so close to death, if he hadn't been with Professor Lupin…she shuddered at the thought.

She forced herself from the thoughts and ran to her garden. Pushing through the foliage that had started springing up around her garden area, she saw her little garden had actually grown quite large. She hadn't thought of it in a while, but it really had grown large, growing even more since she had started a garden underwater.

She now had Dittany - though in short supply - , Venomous Tentacula, Mimbulus Mimbletonia, Dirigible Plum, Shrivelfig, Roses, Angel's Trumpet, Sneezewort, Lovage, Hellebore, cherry trees, Arnica, Moly, and Asphodel. She smiled at her growing garden and began to water it, weeding as she went.

Severus, whom had watched the girl sneak out of the castle, stood Disillusioned by a tree as he watched the fourteen year old girl work. He still questioned himself on why he continued to let her wonder about when she shouldn't and why she was even wandering about and taking care of a garden. Though, he had to admit that it was nice to collect some of the ingredients. He watched as she stood, and with a glance around herself, walked to a tree and slowly disappeared into the ground.

He leaped from his spot and ran to the spot she disappeared in. He dropped to his knees and began searching the ground for whatever she had fallen in. He paused when his hands sunk into the ground. With a glance around himself and after checking that the Disillusionment was still in place, he descended into the dark, unknown depths of the hole.

He opened his eyes and stood in a tall chamber, lit by many floating candles of different sizes, shapes, and colors. Standing at the other end of the large chamber was the girl he had been following, Hermione Granger. He narrowed his eyes at her and walked forward to see what she was doing.

She seemed to be assembling something together, something that looked like the concoctions Hagrid created to feed his creatures. He tilted his head and turned from her to observe the chamber they were in.

There were shelves lining each wall, all strongly supported. On the shelves were cages, or tanks, with plenty of space between each one. Inside each one were creatures, all obviously still hatchlings. He recognized many, though a few he was sketchy on his knowledge of. Each holding was equipped with the proper equipment to make each creature as comfortable as possible. Each holding was also designed and outfitted with proper props to make each creature seem at home.

He turned back to the girl as she moved from the table she had previously been standing at to the first holding. Opening the top, she slipped the food inside. Severus watched as a Diricrawl walked forward and happily began eating the food. He realized that each holding must have the same extension charm as Wizard tents as four more Diricrawls walked forward.

Hermione, unaware of her visitor, continued to feed the creatures until she came upon a personal favorite. The jobberknolls. Three small, blue speckled birds came into sight and stared up at the bushy haired girl as she opened the holding and slowly lowered the food inside their home. She gently rubbed one on the head, the bird only closing it's eyes in contentment before the girl retreated her hand and moved onto the fairies.

Severus only leaned against an empty wall as the girl continued to move about the large underground chamber. He observed a few of the creatures and wondered where she had received them from. And where she had received the seeds for her garden. He narrowed his eyes at the curiosity named Hermione Granger.

=^.^=

**A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Ok, had to get that out of the way. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It's not as long as I would like, but it was a good enough stopping place. I believe the next chapter will be much longer.**

**Spells that I didn't already describe:**

**Salutem Domus Sub: As stated, this spell creates a large underground chamber, in which anyone inside can do as they wish. The opening to get inside is narrow and only visible to the caster and any the caster wishes to see it. Also, the chamber is impenetrable by magic.**

**Naso Cani: As stated, this charm heightens the effected's sense of smell to that of a dogs. Side effect is that smells may become overwhelming and make them nauseous.**

**Creatures/Beings:**

**Diricrawls: They are magical creatures with the ability to disappear and reappear in a new place to escape danger. Muggles know them as Dodo birds, though they are unaware of their magical properties. Wizards and witches did not let the muggles know of the continued existence of the birds so that the muggles will learn from their mistakes of killing a creature they live with.**

**Fairy: A magical creature that is not really that harmless. They have limited brain function and no ability to communicate with humans. They communicate only with other fairies via a high pitched noise.**

**Jobberknoll: Blue speckled birds that never make a sound until the moment before they die. They let out a long scream that repeats every sound they ever heard backwards.**

_**Note: If anyone has any questions they would like answered, tell me and I will address the question and answer at the end of chapters. If a question is asked that will spoil something later, I will state that so the question is not left unanswered.**_

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR IT'S CHARACTERS.**


	10. Chapter 10

Harry's eyes squinted behind his goggles as he focused on the little golden ball in front of him. The air around him became colder and colder the higher he went. As his goggles began to become brittle from the freezing water of the clouds, he looked down to his hands tightly gripping his broom, which had lost feeling. He gulped as he watched the ice creeping quickly towards him along the broom. He looked up just in time to see something that resembled a black umbrella fly past him.

He gasped in the freezing air and twisted around on his broom to find the umbrella. Not finding it, he turned back to face forward. His breath, once more, caught in his throat as a deathly figure floated through the air towards him. By this time, Harry had ceased his assent to the Snitch. The figure came closer and opened it's mouth. A scream echoed in Harry's mind as the Dementor left, only to be replaced by another. And another. And another. And so many came at him that he lost count in his angst filled daze as his frozen hands lost their grip on the broom and he fell through the sky, his gaze darkening as he watched the deathly figures float in the stormy sky.

=^.^=

"Hey! Let me go!" The disembodied voice yelled out as the ginger haired twins pulled an invisible object. They stopped, at a secluded place, and pulled off a shimmering cloak to reveal Harry Potter. He glared angrily as he snatched back his cloak. "I was trying to get to Hogsmeade." The twins looked at each other, grins on their faces, before looking back at the boy in front of them.

"We know." They answered together. Harry scowled at the two.

"Here, this will get you there." Fred, or maybe George, answered. The other twin, who may have been either Fred or George, pulled a spare bit of parchment out. He handed it to the confused boy.

"What rubbish is this?" The boy flipped the parchment over in his free hand before looking into the two fifth years faces.

"Rubbish, he says." They laughed together for a moment. "That rubbish is the secret to our success. Made by the Marauders. Bloody brilliant, whoever they are." The dark haired teen looked up with confusion as he held the paper. One of the twins placed the tip of his wand on the paper. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Slowly, words started to appear. Across the front was 'The Marauders Map'.

=^.^=

Harry snuck carefully into the room, hidden under his invisibility cloak with his new Map tightly clutched in his fingers. He listened as Rosemerta and the minister spoke to each other. His ears perked up as he heard the name Sirius Black.

"Now, what does Sirius Black have to do with Harry Potter?" Rosemerta bustled over to the minister, whom looked to be shaking. Harry also looked to the man.

"You see, Sirius Black is the reason the Potters, along with Peter Pettigrew, are dead, and now he's come to finish the job by killing young mister Potter." Rosemerta gave a gasp, placing her hand over her mouth. Harry froze in place. The man that was chasing him was the indirect killer of his family. "He revealed their location to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He betrayed his best friends!" Harry began to feel dizzy. He began to move away from the two, heading to the door.

"That's awful!" Harry's hand was gripping the knob by this time.

"And that's not the worse part." Harry froze once more, wondering how anything could possibly be worse. Rosemerta voiced his thoughts.

"What could possibly be worse?"

"Sirius Black was, and still is to this day, Harry Potter's godfather." Everything seemed to disappear, though he felt as if the world were tilting and spinning at the same time. He felt the bile in his throat begin to rise and he ran from the room, desperate to get away. From what, the boy didn't know, all he knew was that he had to get away.

=^.^=

"It's supposedly one of the most haunted places in London. Did you know that?" The ginger only looked at his bushy haired friend in disbelief.

"No…" They continued to walk along the fence line, looking out at the old, haunted house, protected by a simple, barb-wired fence. Hermione looked out happily, wishing there was a way for her to get out there from the school. It would be a nice place to relax at, despite the rumors that it was incredibly haunted. She stared at a sign that had, in small, crude, faded letters, the words: The Shrieking Shack. She smiled and looked back to the house. It was no shack, that was for sure.

The two teens paused as a sob broke through the snowy scenery. They looked to each other before following the sounds until they came to a path of swerving footprints. They followed them where they ended at a rock, where the sobs were loudest. Looking to Ron once more, Hermione kneeled down by the rock and slowly reached a hand out.

Harry, now uncovered as his friend pulled the cloak away, sobbed into his hands. His blood was on fire, boiling angrily inside him. But his mind and heart were screaming in agony. How could he? They were his friends. The boy began to mumble.

"They were his friends, and he killed them." Saying it out loud only made him angrier. His breath was coming shorter now and he feared for a moment that he was going to pass out.

"Harry, who are you talking about?" The boy looked over to his only female friend. She looked up at him with muddy brown eyes, searching his eyes intently for whoever he was talking about. He couldn't tear his eyes off her. How could Black do it? It would be like Harry betraying Hermione and Ron to Voldemort. He was so confused. A sob and yell came out together.

"HE WAS THEIR FRIEND!" The two friends looked at their pained friend as he continued to sob. Hermione didn't know what to do, for once. She gulped, sat up, and pulled her crying friend into her arms. Squeezing her tightly, Harry spoke viciously into her shoulder. "I hope he finds me. Because when he does, I'm going to make him pay. Because when he does, I'm going to kill him!" The last words echoed out across the snowy forest around them. Hermione only held her friend closer as Ron watched in worry as his friend once more began to sob, though a demented, angry glare reflected in his green eyes.

=^.^=

"May I give it a try?" The woman with thick glasses looked over to the bushy haired teen. She frowned slightly at the girl, recognizing her as the know-it-all. She walked over nonetheless.

"Of course. What do you see?" The professor watched as the girl kept her gaze locked as she answered.

"The grim." The woman clenched her teeth as she stared at the girl. She reached forward and held the girls hand.

"I knew it the day you first arrived. You have no Inner Eye, no talent for the noble art of Divination, for your heart and soul are as dry as the books to which you so desperately cleave." The woman almost laughed at the barely contained rage behind the girls eyes. She was surprised though as the girl stood and flung the crystal ball to the ground. The girl looked back down with a glare that rivaled that of the Potions Professor before she walked briskly from the room, bushy brown hair trailing gently behind her.

"Was it something I said?" The two boys she stared at only looked to each in incredulity.

=^.^=

"Ok, now, I want you to think of a memory. But not just any memory, it has to be a happy one. The strongest one you have." There was a brief pause as the rugged professor stared at his young student before he spoke again. "Do you have it?" The boy nodded. "Ok, let us try." The man walked over to the chest and unlatched the lock, allowing the dark creature to creep coldly from it.

Remus watched as the boy shouted the spell, staring intently at the figure in front of him. A brief fluttering of light came out of the tip of the wand before it faded and the boy fell to the ground, unconscious. Remus sighed and, after getting the Boggart back into the chest, walked over to the boy while pulling out a piece of chocolate, already knowing this was going to be a long night.

=^.^=

Harry, eating a piece of chocolate, idly flipped the Marauders Map, looking at the names on it. He was just passing over the section with the hall leading from the entrance hall to the Gryffindor Tower when a name made him stopped. Peter Pettigrew. His hand froze with a piece of chocolate, his eyes glued to the name swerving down hall.

A few moments later and he was sprinting down the corridor, staring at the map in his hands, wand lit in front of him. He stopped, eyes still glued to the map. Pettigrew would be here in a moment. His breath came quicker and as he searched around him, searching for the supposedly dead man.

Just down another corridor, a man with long dark hair dressed in black robes walked swiftly down the hall, herbs, roots, fruits, and flowers placed delicately in separate bags, all resting in a basket, which was being held by the long pale arm of the dark man.

Said man paused in his walking for a moment as he heard heavy breathing just ahead. He glanced down to the basket of ingredients freshly picked from the garden of the bushy haired best friend of Potter. Gently setting the basket down, he pulled out his wand and turned the corner, smirking as he looked at the slightly panicked Harry Potter.

Remus Lupin, whom was also walking the corridors this late night, happened upon Severus Snape sadistically about to punish Harry. He glared at the man, thinking Snivellus in his mind. The man was nothing but a pain, an evil pain that deserved nothing less than death. Clearing his face and putting a pleasant smile on his face, he stepped forward to save the son of his best friend.

It was only later, in his office, that he asked Harry why he had the map he and his friends had made as teenagers out so late. He looked up as the boy was leaving, his brown eyes locking onto those of Lily's green eyes set in James's face.

"I think the map may be broken, Professor." Remus gave a small smile, amused by the boy. If only he knew, the map could never be wrong. But he decided to humor the boy.

"And why would you say that?" The boy shuffled a moment before answering.

"Because, I saw a name. A name of a person I know to be dead." He was more curious now, though doubtful of the boy. Albus had probably kept the names of people he protected away from the boy. He probably saw someone that Albus was hiding hear in the castle.

"And who might that be?" He had almost tuned the boy out by now, thinking on other things. He should probably talk to Albus about keeping those people in the castle. He glanced up as the boy took longer than expected.

"Peter Pettigrew." Remus felt, in that one moment, that his body froze. Harry must be loosing his mind, Remus figured. His vision must be getting worse, he reasoned. He stared down at the map, wondering, in the back of his mind, if maybe the map was broken after all of these years.

"That's not possible." He mumbled out in a daze, anything to get the boy away. He had to figure this out. If Peter's name really was on the map, then that meant that everything he thought about Sirius was wrong…he heard, only in a daze, Harry leaving.

=^.^=

"Thank you, for coming, you know." The three teens stood in the small hut as their friend paused to look out the window at the regal hippogriff laying in the pumpkin garden. Hermione reached forward with a hand and laid it gently on the half-giants arm. The man smiled down at the bushy haired girl with a watery smile as she gave a gentle rub before pulling back.

Rubeus Hagrid, who simply went by Hagrid, sighed and turned to the stove with a whistling teapot. The teens behind him spoke, though the ginger was distracted by his recently returned Scabbers. The four jumped as the container holding sugar broke. Ron and Hagrid looked around as they tried to figure out what was going on. Harry snapped his head around to the window as a rock hit him in the head. Hermione, whom was distracted by observing the strange rock, was surprised when her wrist was grabbed and she was literally dragged from the hut.

After running up the hill that overlooked Hagrid's hut, the three stopped and looked back down to peaceful hut, an executioner dressed in all black walked to the garden, axe glinting the sun resting over his broad shoulder. They couldn't see Buckbeak, but they knew he was there.

Tears leaked out of Hermione's eyes as she watched the executioner lift his axe high over his head. And as the axe came down, she swiftly turned and buried her head into Harry's shoulder as Ron rubbed her arm with his free hand. The three stood in silence for only a few moments before Ron gave a shout of surprise.

"He bit me!" Harry and Hermione turned to the ginger as the tall boy ran from them, chasing his rat. They looked at each other before following the boy, tears still gliding softly down the girls face. They arrived near the whomping willow, though they didn't realize this, to see their friend standing in disappointment.

"Ron?" The ginger turned with a disgruntled look to face his best friend, only for that expression to dissolve into fear. The two teens in front of Ron looked in confusion at their friend as he rose a shaking finger to point behind them.

"Th-the Grim!" Harry spun faster than Hermione could blink. By the time she did blink, the large, black dog had leaped over her and latched onto Ron's leg. The boy gave a scream of terror as he was dragged under the tree, rat squeezed tightly in his hand.

Hermione and Harry immediately ran forward only to be stopped by the whipping branches of the Whomping Willow. They looked ta each other, hoping the answer to get through would be in the others eyes. Distracted by their fear and worry, they didn't notice until it was to late one of the branches coming straight for them. Catching Hermione around the waist, she was literally lifted off her feet and the only thing she could as she tried to find a way down was to cling to the branch for life.

=^.^=

He had been making his rounds when he happened to look out a window from the fourth floor of the castle, the side with the view of the Whomping Willow. He noticed that it was upset, angrily waving it's limbs about. He gave a small squint of his eyes, letting the dark night he was confused for only a moment before he walked calmly down to the lawn and strolled leisurely to the angry tree.

It was just calming when he arrived, though still quite angry. Raising his wand, he froze the tree. It was then he noticed the patch of blood in front of the tunnel that would to the Shrieking Shack. His eyes widened and he nearly ran into the tunnel and began to sprint down the narrow, short, long, windy tunnel. As he arrived to the Shack, he took a moment to allow his eyes to the brighter - though still infinitely dim - before continuing up the stairs to where he could hear voices.

"He's a werewolf Harry! That's why he's always gone!" He stood just outside, listening to the voices. That would have been Hermione, being her usual know-it-all self. There was a stunned silence, though he knew there should be no surprise.

"You really are the brightest witch of your age, Miss Granger." He nearly growled at the sound of Remus Lupin's surprised, yet amused, voice.

"Oh shut up! Let's just kill him!" Severus's blood nearly froze at the voice. A voice he could never forget. A driving force in his wish to get revenge on everyone. One of the main forces that drove him to become a Death Eater. His blood began to race, began to boil. The pounding tuned all the noises from his mind as he focused upon all of the memories of the evil teenager whom had tortured him alongside his dear friend, James Potter.

Severus growled this time, though the members in the room clearly did not hear him. A sense of angry happiness came over him. He would finally be able to get his revenge, finally be able to Black in his place.

A cruel smile spread across his face before he wiped it away and replaced it with a sneer. He burst into the room, wand raised. He spoke, though he wasn't sure of all the things he was saying. The members of the room were clearly surprised, though Remus attempted to talk him out of anything 'rash'. The sneer on his face grew uglier as he motioned for everyone to begin to leave.

"_Expelliarmus!"_ He barely had time to turn his head to see Harry, green eyes angry, holding Hermione's odd little wand in his hand. A moment later and his world was black.

=^.^=

**A/N: Ok, there are two reasons I'm leaving it at this.**

**One: I feel you guys need another chapter.**

**Two: The part following this really would work better if I let it happen in the next chapter.**

**Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: The only Latin in this chapter is Parvulus, which means little child. It's a word of affection.**

=^.^=

"I'll see you two next year, right? And you promise to write?" The two boys in front of her smiled. She gave a small glare and they nodded, nearly laughing at their friend. She smiled, though her eyes were watery, and leaped forward to hug her friends before pulling back to look at Harry. "Will you be with…"

"No." He shook his head sadly. "Dumbledore thinks I need to stay with the Dursley's." Hermione absently commented with a _'Professor Dumbledore, Harry.' _He gave a mock glare. "What will you two be doing?"

"Nothing until we get you for the World Cup." Ron's grin was infectious, so when Harry turned to Hermione, he was already grinning happily. Hermione's grin only faltered for a moment, though the boys didn't know.

"I'll be traveling with my parents." The boys nodded. The three stood in silence for a moment, comfortably soaking in each others presence before they had to go. But it was only for a moment before Hermione grabbed the handle of her cart and began to back up. "Remember, you two promised to write!" The boys smiled again and waved to their friend, calling out goodbyes before she was through the barrier, taking her back into muggle London.

Hermione smiled to herself as she weaved her way through the crowded train station until she was outside. Continuing down the sidewalk, she waited until she was in a less crowded area before pulling her wand out and flinging her wand out. She smiled as, moments later, a three story, purple bus appeared. A tall, skinny boy with a puberty stricken face came out smiling.

Hermione sighed as she sat down and closed her eyes, waiting to get back to her home with Rose. Her eyes snapped open when, not even seconds after sitting down, the bus stopped again. She sat up on her knees and peered out the second story window of her seat. Her eyes widened when she spotted the familiar, greasy, black haired head of her Potions Professor.

Hermione gulped and watched as her Professor sat down on the first floor. The bus restarted. The girl couldn't help but watch her professor the entire ride and nearly didn't notice when the bus stopped. Her eyes widened even further as the dark man stood and exited the bus. She continued to watch him out her window when a voice called out.

"Hey, ain't this your stop, little miss." The bushy haired girl blinked her muddy eyes down at him before giving a small nod and slowly made her way down the stairs and out the bus. As she stood on the road, trunk beside her, she watched her silent professor quickly make his way down the road, even as the bus behind her disappeared. She was still rooted to her spot when Rose walked onto her porch.

"Hermione!" The girl was snapped out of her daze as she turned to the old woman. "Get in, you need to pack. You want to see Adelais, right?" Hermione smiled and ran, or tried, with her heavy trunk to her house. She hugged Rose as the woman began to help with pulling the trunk into the home.

=^.^=

It was dark when their cab pulled up at the large, beach front mansion. The bushy haired girl was out and had the trunk open by the time the driver came out. He gave a little yawn as he pulled the trunk and bags out. Rose, whom had just come out of the cab, paid the man and began to help Hermione drag the luggage to the front door. Arriving there, Hermione began to knock loudly on the door, nearly pounding it. Rose chuckled.

"Hermione, dear, it's," She looked at the old, antique watch on her wrist. "4:30a.m.. You don't want to wake everyone!" She chuckled again as Hermione scowled at her before turning back to look at the now open door. A tall man with long, dark, graying black hair stood in the doorway and smiled.

"Now, who would she wake up, Rose? You know my workers get up very early and you know I've been awaiting your arrival." He smiled at the two before him. The girl, whom he had grown very found of, looked up at him brightly. "Parvulus, you know what to do." She smiled and nodded. Stepping off the porch, she ran around the house and up the shadowed path to the now overgrown garden.

Rose looked up and locked her piercing green gaze onto that of her friends warm blue eyes. He simply looked down to her with a serious look. A conversation seemed to flow through their eyes before they dropped their gazes and walked silently into his home.

=^.^=

Bushy hair now thrown up into a messy ponytail caught onto a thorny vine. Carefully, though irritated, Hermione gently extracted her calmer bushy hair from the vine, recognizing it to be one of the poisonous ones she had taken care of earlier in the morning. Smiling, Hermione walked around the swaying vine with her now free hair. Smiling, she jogged down the path to the mansion.

She was startled though, when Adelais met her half way down the path. She slowed to a stop in front of him and smiled, though in confusion. She didn't think they were going to begin their lessons until later in the day.

"Hermione, I believe we should start early today." The girl nodded, though in confusion. Adelais paused for a moment before spinning on his feet and walking back up to the garden. Hermione blinked before falling into step behind him. They were silent as Adelais lead her deep into the massive garden until they were in the very center. He motioned for her to sit beside him as he lowered himself to the ground. After doing so, crossing her legs, they faced each other.

"Do you know how to meditate, Hermione?" She blinked before slowly shaking her head. "It's time you learn. There will come a time when the skill is needed." He watched as she tilted her head at the odd comment. But he didn't answer. He knew Voldemort would rise again, it was inevitable. But he didn't wish to tell her. For now, he would give her subtle hints.

=^.^=

"Hermione, do you know how to detect if someone is lying?" The girl blinked in surprise and her foot paused in mid air before she continued walking beside the tall man.

"Well, I mean, if they check out with the evidence presented, I guess they are telling the truth." Adelais was silent as they continued to walk. Hermione looked up at the man, curious as to what he was going for.

"Maybe you should find a different way to discover the truth." Hermione waited a few moments before nodding once more.

=^.^=

"Come along Hermione, it's time we go." Hermione thought for a moment before smiling and nodding. She leaned down to the orange cat in her lap and gave him a gentle kiss and stood. Setting Crookshanks on the plush couch, she followed Rose and Adelais to the back of the house.

"Where will we be arriving?"

"Directly at the Burrow." Hermione smiled and nodded. "Well, shall we go? Get over here Rose, I can't apparate you if you are not over here." The white haired woman glared before walking swiftly to her friend. Adelais hooked his arm with both his friend and the young girl he was becoming attached to and turned on his heel. Hermione opened her eyes after the nauseating feeling passed and looked upon the tall, narrow home of the Weasley family.

=^.^=

"HERMIONE!" Adelais looked around him in panic. He had sent Rose with a portkey back to his home just moments ago, but now he couldn't find Hermione. His breathing picked up as he ran quickly through the grounds of the screaming people. A curse of a brilliant crimson hue shot over his shoulder.

He spun in anger and raised his wand. The Death Eater froze in surprise at the tall, angry man pointing a wand at him. The Death Eater rose his wand and through another curse. Adelais growled to himself.

"_Protego!" _The curse of his enemy slammed into the ground, creating a crater. _"Bombarda!" _Adelais grinned in malicious joy for a moment as the Death Eater screamed in agony, gripping the place where his arm had been only moments ago. Adelais contemplated staying for a moment before shaking his head and ran off again. He paused and held his chest after only a few minutes of sprinting.

He growled to himself as he bent over, holding himself up on his knees. A hand touched his back. He jumped and spun around, wand at the mans neck and the beginning of a spell on his lips before he recognized the man.

"Prof-Adelais?" Though the boy had grown since he was a young man, he was still recognizable. His long, greasy black hair, dark eyes, large, hooked nose, and pale skin. Severus Snape. His apprentice. He smiled for a moment, forgetting where he was, happy to see the man he had grown found of.

"Severus." A scream in the back ground broke his happiness and he suddenly remembered where he was and why he was out of breath. He desperately gripped the younger mans shoulders as he stared into his eyes. Severus blinked in surprise as the man began to speak. "You must help me. I'm looking for a girl. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She's short. She's about fifteen. She may be with Harry Potter and a red headed boy." Severus scrunched his brow.

"Miss Granger? How do you know her?"

"That doesn't matter! Just look for her, damn it!" Adelais pushed away from the door and began running again, looking for the girl.

Severus was frozen in shock for a few moments before he slowly began to jog. His mind was far away as he looked for the familiar heads; one with messy black hair, one with bushy brown hair, and one with flaming red hair. He was only here on Albus's orders, and now he was wondering how Adelais knew the girl and why he seemed to be so interested in her.

Quickly catching up to Adelais, he saw the three teens they were looking for surrounded by a group of Ministry officials. The two dark haired men looked up and saw the Dark Mark. Severus gulped in fear of the dark memories coming back to him. Severus turned back to the angry man next to him and saw him pull out his wand. Severus, seeing Arthur Weasley arriving leaped forward and held his old teachers arms behind his back. The man struggled and growled, keeping his eyes locked onto the three teens.

"Damn it, Severus, let me the fuck go! They're going to hurt her!" Severus held the man tighter.

"Adelais, look, they're going to be ok. I promise you." The man paused in his struggles to focus back in on the group of people in front of him. The officials were running off, away from them. And the teens, Hermione included, were following Arthur Weasley of to their right. When Adelais had completely calmed, Severus carefully let him go. The man continued to stare off to where he had seen Hermione disappear to before speaking in a soft, quiet voice.

"Severus, how do you know her?"

"She is my student." Adelais turned to look back at the younger and shorter man with a look of surprise.

"I never took you to be the teaching sort, Severus." Adelais turned away again and the silence stretched between them again. Adelais closed his eyes and tried to calm his still racing heart. He was surprised, he hadn't lost his composure like that since he was a student himself. He wondered what it was about the girl that had him all worked up. He glanced from the corner of his eye to see Severus still standing silently behind him. "Watch her, protect her for me, will you?" Severus glared for a moment. "I'll pay you." Severus glared again before looking away. Adelais sighed and looked forward again, disappointed that he couldn't have someone watching her while he was away. Therefore he was surprised when Severus spoke.

"How much?" Adelais smirked.

"300 galleons a month." Severus raised a brow, even as he smirked. He nodded his head and stuck his hand out to accept the deal. Why Adelais felt the need to pay him so much, he would never know. But he did know he wasn't about to pass up on the opportunity. "Well, goodbye." And with that, Adelais was gone with a 'pop'.

=^.^=

Hermione froze in her seat as the Headmaster yelled for Harry once more. Looking down at the frozen teen beside her, she realized she needed to get him to go before the Headmaster grew angry. Pushing against his back, she tried with all her might to get him to move. She growled to herself and leaned forward.

"Harry, go!" When he continued to stay frozen, she doubled her efforts. "Harry, for goodness sake, GO!" She hissed harshly into his ear. Finally, getting the message, Harry stumbled down the hall to go to the Champions chamber.

=^.^=

Hermione sighed happily as she laid down on the ground inside her garden. She looked up to the clear, starry night as the humid air blanketed her. Her eyes began to droop as the minutes passed. Allowing the night to claim her, she closed her eyes and began to drift, thinking about her recently fed creatures and watered garden. With the image of the sweet Jobberknolls in the forefront of her mind, Hermione fell asleep.

A dark man walked forward from his spot behind a tree and made his way slowly to the sleeping girl. He sighed and sat beside her. Looking down at the girl beside him, he wondered what had possessed him to accept Adelais's offer. Oh yes, he thought to himself, the money.

He sighed again and closed his eyes, deciding the girl should have a few hours of sleep before he woke her up.

=^.^=

"YOUR WAND, HARRY! USE YOUR WAND!" Hermione looked down to the old Quidditch pitch, watching as Harry leaped behind a boulder as cover from the flames of the dragon. Hermione gripped the railing in front of her and leaned forward, shouting once more. And she thought, for a moment there, that Harry looked up to her, for a moment later he raised his wand and shouted.

Moments later, long after Harry had disappeared on his broom with the dragon hot on his tail, he came back, broom shaking and dropping, the end with flames. Hermione couldn't help the smile and began to cheer as her friend leaned down from his broom and picked up the golden egg.

=^.^=

Taking a deep breath, Hermione peeked around the wall to the people below. Her eyes immediately found the Durmstrang boy, Viktor Krum. And then, she saw Harry. And Ron. She gulped again and pulled her head back. Leaning against the wall, she took another breath before forcing herself to step out. She began too walk down the stairs.

The sound below her grew softer, whether this was the people quieting or her own ears blocking all sound out, she wasn't sure. She smiled a crooked smile as she reached the bottom of the stairs and breathily took the Bulgarians offered arm. He smiled down to her and walked her to the ballroom. Looking to her two friends, she couldn't help the giddy smile, not noticing the angry expression on her ginger friends face.

Severus continued waiting in his corner by the stairs, even after most of the teens had left for the ballroom. The image of the girl still burned fiercely in the front of his mind. She had grown from the eleven year old, bushy haired, buck toothed girl he had first met. She was now a young woman in the making, long, curly brown hair, intelligent, muddy brown eyes, a confident walk. And, unfortunately, he had just noticed this.

He growled to himself and marched into the ballroom.

=^.^=

Hermione sat in her garden the night after Christmas. A Jobberknoll sat on her knee, occasionally nipping at her jeans. She thoughtfully held her wand in hand, quickly casting 'Cor Flammis', and watched the dancing flames as they brushed gently against her arms. Taking off her robes to reveal a green t-shirt, she let the flames touch her bare arms.

Severus sat against a tree once more and watched the girl, whom occasionally cast a spell, though nothing happened. He wondered, to himself, if she knew that Dumbledore was going to use her as Krum's boon for the second task.

He paused in his musings as the girl blew up a tree with a screech. He nearly chuckled to himself before looking around her garden and thinking about the creatures below them, making a mental checklist of what he needed. speaking of the animals, he remembered her ingenious creation that periodically fed the creatures everyday she wasn't here, perfect for the summer.

Hermione, once more unaware of her visitor, was musing over Adelais's strange words. _'Hermione, do you know how to detect if someone is lying?'_. She thought to herself on how exactly she would go about discovering if someone was lying without being obvious or making it permanent. Not only did she have to think of how to do that, she had to find the words for the spell, and she had to make the result of lying something that could be explained in the magical world while being obvious. Fire! And suddenly, a chant that the kids at her old elementary school use to chant floated across her mind.

'_Liar, Liar, pants on fire'_

=^.^=

Looking back at the cheering crowd, Harry took a deep breath and faced the scary, misty bushes in front of him. He closed his eyes and calmed himself before walking into the dark maze.

=^.^=

**A/N: Ok, do you guys like this chapter more than the last one? I agree with everyone else, the last chapter really was the worse, and I'm not that proud of it, but I needed it for the flow of the story. Anyways, the next chapter will be a major chapter, so I hope everyone will enjoy this!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Ok, as a quick note, will everyone please tell me what you think of my writing style in this chapter? Is it interesting, or was it really boring? I really want to know so that I can think of a way to make the next chapters more interesting. Anyways, enjoy!**

**=^.^=**

The bones in his body popped and snapped, growing to accommodate a much larger body. His skin stretched. His entire body burned in pure agony and it felt as if he were being stabbed by thousands of knifes. He wondered idly if this was what it felt like to be under the cruciatus curse he was so fond of.

Finally, the pain passed and he stood on the on his own two feet for the first time in thirteen years. He sighed in happiness as the darkness surrounded him to create a set of robes. He opened his red eyes and looked around the circle of cloaked, masked people.

He sneered to himself. How dare they come crawling back, as if they were loyal all this time. He glared and began to walk around, acutely aware of his nemesis trapped against the stone of his fathers grave.

=^.^=

As the Third Task rounded the one hour mark, Hermione decided it was time to do something productive. She took a glance around her before jumping up and leaving the waiting area, telling Ron that she would be back in a little while.

She jogged until she reached her garden in her area of the forest. Yes, she had claimed this area as hers. Remembering the second task, she wondered if there was a way to recreate the effects of Gillyweed without the need of it. She walked over to her Gillyweed plant and fingered it, thinking about how she could possibly manage such a thing.

It was approaching the two hour mark when she decided that she couldn't stay at her garden any longer without raising suspicion. So, with a sigh, she jogged back to the maze.

=^.^=

It was later, as his followers were groveling at his feet, that he remembered back in Potter's first year the girl. The girl with bushy hair and muddy eyes. The girl with part of his soul hanging around her thin little neck. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, idly noting his follower soiling his pants. He threw a cruciatus and tuned out the screams of the pain stricken man.

He still couldn't figure out how the girl had become a witch. He was so SURE that she was a muggle. He had made sure, he had done the research, he had been so careful. So how was she a witch? He thought upon the girl more, smiling at the challenge she presented.

It had been nearly forty years since he had a true challenge. Forty years since he used his genius of a mind. And this girl presented the perfect opportunity for him to enjoy himself without revealing any emotions other than hate for the girls kind. He smirked as he focused once more upon his whimpering followers.

=^.^=

Albus watched calmly as the dark man in front of him paced back and forth, an expression of hidden worry crossing his face. The man paced the length in front of the Headmasters large desk a few more times before nearly throwing himself into a chair beside Minerva. The woman only glanced at her colleage before focusing in on the Headmaster.

"Albus, what will we do? We very nearly lost last time he was alive!" Her Scottish lilt broke through her carefully created accent as her frazzled nerves showed themselves to the men in the room. Albus sighed before a silence stretched out amongst them.

"Minerva, my dear, you knew that one day he would come back. We all knew this." Minerva's eyes glinted fiercely for a moment before she too sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"I know, Albus. I'm just…" Albus spoke before she could finish.

"I know, we all are." Another silence stretched in the room before Severus spoke.

"We need to protect the students." Albus and Minerva both glanced at him before Minerva nodded, agreeing.

"He's right, Albus, there are many students that require extra protection." Albus leaned forward and folded his hands in front of his face.

"It's all been taken care of." Minerva glared.

"And why have we not been told?" Albus sighed once more.

"I felt that none but those doing the protecting should know. The less people knowing would mean the less chance of the information falling into the hands of our enemies." It was Severus that glared now as he leaned forward, slamming his hands onto the desk. Neither of the other adults flinched.

"Damn it, Albus. I'm going to be risking my life everyday again. Trust me, it doesn't matter if the Dark Lord finds out, he'll kill whoever it is." He leaned back. "Besides, we are senior members. We deserve the right to know who is going to be protecting our students." Albus considered him before nodding.

"I don't have anyone protecting the Weasley family. I figured that if there always at least six Weasleys at the Burrow during the summer, no other protection was needed. Mister Longbottom and his grandmother are protected by Alastor Moody and Nymphadora Tonks." Severus snorted and Albus gave him a small glare. "We all know that Tom can not touch Harry, so we do not have to protect him. Though, I have Arabella Figg watching him." Again Severus snorted before he grew silent and waited for Albus to go on. When it was apparent the old man wasn't, Severus glared.

"And what of Miss Granger?" Albus gave a small smile.

"She is not in England during the summer holidays." Minerva tilted her head curiously and waited for an explanation. Severus glared.

"That doesn't matter, who's to say that the Dark Lord wouldn't be willing to leave the country to kill the girl if it would benefit him? And surely she is home during the summer for a few days." Albus only continued to give a small smile.

"Like I said, Severus, Miss Granger is well protected." Severus leaned forward again.

"Albus, I know your old and that you are forgetting things in your age, but you must remember that Miss Granger is, as much as I loathe to admit, brilliant. Her intelligence rivals the Dark Lord himself. She will be seen is a threat. On top of that, she is one of Potter's best friends. The Dark Lord will be greatly threatened by her the older she gets. I need to know who is protecting her to know if they will be adequate protection." The two men locked eyes, black on blue.

"I haven't seen you this passionate in a while, Severus." Severus only continued to glare.

"Don't change the subject, Albus."

"Do you remember, I think it was nearly thirteen years ago, a couple days before Mister Potter's and Mister Longbottom's first birthday. You accompanied me to a friends home on your own way home. Her name was Rose Callaway." He turned from Severus to look out the darkening skies outside his window. There was a long silence before Albus turned around. "Do you know who she is?" Severus looked away, down to the floor as he scowled.

"Of course, I saw the woman more than my own mother as a child." His colleagues heard him murmur something about annoying old woman. Albus gave another gentle smile.

"There was a little girl, nearly two years old. You played with her at the playground." Severus's body began to stiffen as he thought about the intelligent muddy brown eyes looking at him from over a thin shoulder. "Rose began to raise the muggle girl precisely one year before you met the little girl." Severus, though he realized Albus said muggle, could only think of the day one year before he met the girl. It was the day of one of the most brutal raids he had attended, and it was to a village of about fifty muggles.

"Albus," Minerva broke in. "as fascinating as this story seems, will you tell us who is protecting Miss Granger? Severus presented a very valid point." But Albus only stared deep into Severus's dark eyes.

"That girl was a muggle the day we found her. The day before you met that girl, she performed powerful accidental magic. From then on, until the day she began to attend this school, she has been performing many spells." Minerva gasped in shock, though she clearly did not know who Albus was speaking of, which she presented not moments later.

"Albus, that's not possible. Who do you think was a muggle?" Abus only glanced at her before returning his gaze to the frozen man in front of him.

"No, Minerva, I have my theories on why Tom was there that night. The girl would have had to have been a muggle for him to even consider her." Minerva only blinked in confusion. She looked to Severus.

"Severus, do you know who he is talking about?" But Severus couldn't answer, he could only stare blankly into Albus's eyes. The same little girl he had let his guard down with was the same girl he had been following quite often since her second year. The same girl he had made a deal with his old Master to protect. Why did she keep popping up in his life?

"Her magic, as soon as it began to show itself, was mainly grey, though there were a few light and one dark. The wand she has is a wand that Mister Ollivander had not made himself, something the wand maker told me himself. Her wand was a very dark wand, though it held the ability to become somewhat light. When she came here and it was obvious that she was a witch, myself and Rose decided to contact your old master to give her lessons." By this time, Albus and Severus had nearly forgotten the confused witch beside them. Severus spoke.

"Why?" It was all he could manage as he looked to the man in front of him. He hadn't been this confused since he had joined the Light, the only other time being the time he joined the Dark.

"Because, myself and Rose feared her. The girls magic was stronger than she was. The darkness of her magic would have overpowered her light soul." Severus began to rub his temples as he tried to understand the man. He was a potions master, he had no talent in analyzing the magic and soul of witches and wizards.

"But Albus, how could this mystery girls magic be dark while she was light? It's not possible! Besides, if she was a muggle, these theories of her magic mean nothing! You must have mistaken the witch for a muggle girl." Albus, though he acknowledged the woman, did not look away from the dark, confused young man in front of him.

"Do you know why Tom raided that village, Severus?" It took Severus a moment to remember before he slowly shook his head. "That night, Tom made his final Horcrux." Severus's eyes widened at the implications.

"Well, where is it? We must destroy it!" Albus was already shaking his head before Minerva could finish.

"We can't, the Horcrux has a living host." Minerva's eyes widened as the pieces of discovering the mystery girl slowly fell into place. "The girl was sent to work with your master so that her soul may over power the magic. My theory, though I couldn't prove this unless we were to speak to Mister Ollivander, is that the girl's body has accepted the magic as it's own."

"That's not possible." Severus's voice was only barely above a whisper as he thought of everything. He could only imagine what it would mean if Albus was correct.

"Oh, but my boy, we live in the magical world. Isn't anything possible?" Albus gave another gentle smile to the confused man as Minerva spoke up.

"A muggle child taking the magic from a very magically powerful horcrux to become a witch? No, Albus, that is not possible. It simply would never work!" Albus smiled again before Severus spoke, his voice muffled by the hands covering his face.

"Albus, who are you talking ab-"Albus interrupted.

"Oh, but you already know the answer, don't you? Don't deny it." Albus smiled as black eyes appeared from behind pale hands. "Miss Hermione Jane Granger." Severus only groaned as he buried his head back in his hands as Minerva's mouth open and closed repeatedly, like a fish.

=^.^=

**A/N: Ok, so I know this is really short, but I feel like this is a good stopping place. So, was anyone surprised or did they figure this was going to happen?**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS.**


	13. Chapter 13

"Hermione, it's time you learn about the origins of your magic." The girl stopped in her walk to stare at the tall man in front of her. She blinked owlishly as she tried to understand what he was talking about.

"The origins of my magic?" He gave a solemn nod and motioned for her to follow him. She did so hesitatingly, leaving her shoes outside on the cobblestone patio. The continued pass the kitchen, pass the library, pass their usual sitting room, pass the main staircase, until finally they arrived to one final staircase, the one Hermione wasn't allowed to go down.

Adelais continued with a swift pace and opened the door, walking quickly down the narrow, cold staircase. Hermione followed nervously, nearly forgetting to close the door behind her. She gulped when she arrived to the bottom and waited for further instruction.

"Hermione, sit." She did so, sitting in an old, though still luxurious and beautiful, armchair. She kept her eyes on him as she did so, watching as he pulled out several scrolls and set them on the table in front of her. He conjured a chair identical to hers and sat down across from her. He took a deep breath and looked at her.

"Adelais, what is this all about?" His shoulders stiffened and he sat up straighter. He cleared his throat.

"Hermione, you were born in a muggle town on September 19, 1978. The town was called Scattery Island, on Scattery Island in Ireland. You were born to Jonathan Mathew Granger and Jane Ileana Walsh nee Granger. You were born as a muggle." He pulled open one scroll and showed it to the girl in front of him, showing her her muggle family tree. She looked on with curiosity, not able to speak as he continued.

"Taking samples of your DNA, we were able to find with both muggle and magical means that you had a genetic abnormality." She finally looked up, confused.

"But why does that matter?" He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Your locket," Her hand immediately flew to the locket, resting just under her shirt. Adelais's eyes watched her reaction. "Yes, that locket. Do you know why you feel so attached to it?" Hermione gulped and slowly shook her head. "It is a Horcrux." Hermione's eyes stayed confused.

At this moment, Adelais couldn't tell if he was happy that she didn't know what a horcrux was or that he was unhappy that he now had to explain it to her. He watched as she scrunched her eyes further and attempted to solve the puzzle. He only sighed and decided to save her the headache.

"A horcrux is a piece of soul from the one who created it. The wizard that created the horcrux around your neck is the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort." Hermione began to hyperventalate and he was glad he had brought a Calming Draught with him. He quickly handed it to her and a few moments later she was calm again. Finally, she spoke.

"But, how does this explain anything?" Hermione desperately hoped that the connections she was making in her head were all wrong, but she knew, from the look in those blue eyes, that she was thinking the right things.

"Every Horcrux has magic from the creator, if not, the soul would not be a wizard when it was activated. Your genetic abnormality, well, it allowed you to do what no other muggle is able to. Your body accepted the magic inside the horcrux, therefore accepting the soul as its own. Your own soul was, thankfully, powerful enough to overcome the darkness of the soul, but since you had no magic, your magic is dark. No, I will not go into that right now. That is a conversation for another day." Hermione nodded and closed her mouth from the question she was preparing to ask.

She was shocked, though she didn't think it had set in just yet. So, she was the only one of her kind, sort of. It was still a shock to her. The only thing she couldn't figure out was, how was any of this important? Sure, it was her right to know her history, but why was it so important to know that she had Voldemort's soul and magic? She focused back onto the stiff man in front of her.

"Adelais, why is it so important for me to know any of this?" He sighed and gave a small chuckle as he looked away from the girl in front of him.

"You know, this was the one question I was hoping you wouldn't ask me." Hermione tilted her head as a silence stretched out between the two. He spoke again in a quiet voice. "You know that the Dark Lord believes in pureblood supremacy, yes?" Hermione nodded. "Well, the only thing he hates more than muggleborns are muggles. There was a time, right before he was proclaimed a Dark Lord and he was still a normal looking young man, that he attempted to find a way to make muggles magical, so as to make them slaves. He didn't want there to be the possibility of squibs or any other non magical creatures. But he failed."

"What would be so bad with him making muggles magical? Other than them having no rights." Adelais sighed and finally turned to look back at Hermione with sharp eyes.

"Because, it was found that any muggle that he succeed with, they died within days of having magic. You see, we are still not positive how some muggles have magical children, but the thing we do know is, is that, essentially, muggles and wizards are two different breeds of humans. Our DNA is different, that's why most wizards refuse to go to muggle doctors. It's not that they are discriminating against them, it is simply that we will be discovered. Anyways, it's why muggles can not be changed to wizards, it's like making a horse a unicorn, it is simply not possible. It's fatal." Hermione sighed and nodded, finally understanding that Voldemort could never know that she was once a muggle. It would mean the death to millions. She sighed once more and a silence stretched between the two.

"Hey," Adelais looked up quickly at the soft voice. The silence had stretched for so long, that he had nearly forgotten that she was sitting across from him. She pointed down to the table covered in scrolls. "What are those?" He smiled and leaned forward, happy for the change in subject.

=^.^=

"Adelais, lie to me!" The man turned from soup he was eating in surprise to look at the excited fifteen year old girl standing behind him. A smile was spread across her face and she held her short wand in her hand with ease. He swallowed the food in his mouth before answering.

"I wear a thongs." He watched as she gave a small twirl of her wand, barely noticeable as it rested by her side and she muttered under her breath the words 'Fac Igni Mendacem'. he yelped and leaped form his seat as his robes caught on fire. He began patting them down, temporarily forgetting that he could extinguish the flames with a simple wave of his wand. He heard Hermione chuckle and a moment later he was no longer on fire and his robes were in perfect order as usual. He smiled and looked up at the girl.

"I'm working on perfecting it, I think it may work better if it was silent." He nodded. And walked forward, mentally calculating how many more weeks of the summer they had as he rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Hermione, how would you like to become an animagus?" Her eyes widened and she grinned, nodding excitedly.

=^.^=

Rose watched as her friend and ward hugged each other, the man bending over nearly double to hug the much shorter girl. They had grown even closer over the summer, the only time they were apart was when Hermione was doing her chores or when they were sleeping. She only ever saw Hermione during meals and only ever saw Adelais during meals and when Hermione was doing her chores. She wondered how it was that they had grown so close. She had never expected Adelais to grow that close to someone, he was a hard to impress man. But at this point, she no longer cared. She was only happy that the two most important people in her life had grown to like each other this much.

Oblivious to their friends musings, Adelais and Hermione broke apart from their hug, ignoring the looks they were getting from the others in the train station. Adelais had decided to accompany Hermione to the Hogwarts express this year. Many of the wizards recognized Adelais as the great potions master, and many were trying to figure out who the man was hugging the know-it-all.

"Now, remember, you can't use what you've learned for anything other than your safety and knowledge." Hermione gave a chuckle.

"I know. And I promise to send you any spells I learn. Do I get to come to your home for Christmas?" He sighed and shook his head.

"No, I'm afraid not." He paused and glanced over her head as someone yelled out her name. "It seems that it is time for you to go. Your friends are here." Hermione turned and, with one last hug to Adelais and Rose, she ran to meet with her friends, deflecting their questions about Adelais.

=^.^=

Hermione walked around the Room of Requirement, observing as members of the D.A. produced Patronuses. She would practice right no too, but she didn't want anyone to see her fail. Instead, she walked calmly and looked closely as everyone performed the complicated spell.

By the end of the meeting, everyone had created one. Luna and her Swan. Ron and his Tiger. Harry and his Stag. Neville and his Cow. The twins with their Raccoons. Ginny with her Horse. Cho with her Seal. And then Hermione, with absolutely no Patronus as of yet.

Hermione sighed to herself before joining Ron and Harry in bidding everyone goodnight. Hermione, spotting Cho still inside the Room, grabbed Ron and left the room. With the promise to be back later, she parted ways with him and ran to her garden, careful to avoid the hag Umbridge and her faithful little squad of Slytherins.

=^.^=

Severus sighed as he began his walk outside to take care of Hermione. After a full night three nights of nothing but brewing for the Dark Lord, he was in no mood to watch over the girl tonight. All he wanted was to go to sleep. Taking a quick glance around him to make sure the new DADA professor wasn't there, he swiftly walked through the front doors to the cool outside world and headed to the garden he frequently visited.

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and tried to think of the happiest moment in her life. It wasn't meeting Adelais, it wasn't performing her first controlled spell, it wasn't playing with the Jobberknolls, it wasn't reading a book by the fire with Rose and Adelais.

The girl growled in frustration and tugged at her hair, desperately trying to think of her happiest memory. She began to pace around the garden as she thought, absently casting the first spell she created. She stopped in pacing to stare blankly at the red and black flames as they danced sharply around her, hot against her skin. It was then that the idea came to her. She smiled and closed her eyes, thinking about the flames and their colors, about how they felt, about how they seemed to protect her.

"Expecto Patronum!" A silvery white light burst from the tip of her wand and took shape. Hermione slowly opened her eyes, nervous of what the animal would be. She gasped in delight as she looked at the happy animal swimming in the air around her. An Otter. She smiled and reached out a hand, laughing as the silvery figure twirled around her arm.

Severus could only watch in surprise as the Patronus burst from the girls wand. It was shocking that she, a mere sixteen year old, could manage it. So caught in his shock, he didn't realize he had stepped forward and into the clearing, right in front of the fifth year student.

Hermione froze, the otter disappearing and the jumping, dancing yellow and orange flames stilling and turning to white. Severus only waited for the girl to scream and run and prepared himself to stop her. But, once again, she surprised him.

"Oh, Professor Snape. It's nice to see you." He could literally see the wheels in her head spinning on overload, attempting to get her out of trouble. His lips twitched as he straightened himself and spoke up, nearly laughing as the girl jumped nearly a foot in the air.

"You're not in trouble Miss Granger." She sighed in relief. "What I do want to know, however, is why you are out here in the first place." He watched as the girl tried to find a way out of answering. "No lies, Granger, you're dear teacher taught me the spell you created, thought it would be helpful." The girls brown eyes looked up to him with shock as the final pieces of Adelais's apprentice fell into place.

"You're Adelais's apprentice!" Severus only nodded as he watched the young woman. "Well, I can't really tell you." Severus glared at the girl. "I can't! Not even I can break the hex. But I promise, it's for the Order." Even though she whispered it, Severus felt paranoid. In two steps, he was directly in front of her and had his hand over her mouth. He glanced all around them, though he knew the girls wards would be enough to keep everyone away. He sighed and pulled his hand away, though he didn't move.

"You shouldn't talk about such things in unsecured places." The girl glared once more and stepped back, desperately needing space.

"Hey! This is a secure place! I've been perfecting it since I was a first year!" She gasped and covered her mouth, muddy brown eyes looking up at him fearfully. Severus bit his tongue, trying to keep his laughter at bay. Finally, not able to withhold it, he distracted himself by speaking.

"Miss Granger, you have a detention Friday night for being outside after curfew." Her brown eyes flashed angrily before she calmed herself and waited for him to continue. "Now, I will escort you back to your dorm. Come along, we have to go before Umbridge begins her rounds." And then the girl smiled. Taking her hands away from her face, she rested them by her sides and closed her eyes.

Her body morphed, smaller and smaller, until she reached no higher than half way up his shin. Although he was once more surprised, he couldn't help but admire the girl for intelligence. He had watched her, as both a teacher and a guardian, as she had flourished as an intelligent woman. He was still loathe to admit that she was a woman, but seeing her so many times, watching as she matured well beyond her years, in both mind and body, he couldn't help but admit that she was a woman. A beautiful woman. He growled to himself as he leaned down and extended a hand to pick her up.

She had thin, long brown feathers with softer, fluffy blonde feathers on her belly. Her tail resembled her eyes in color, all honey, caramel, chocolate. Her eyes, of course, were the exact same as her normal ones. He quickly made her rest on his shoulder and began his assent to the castle.

Hermione watched her professor absorbed in his own thoughts. She wondered, briefly, why he seemed comfortable near her. She assumed that, because they are both close to Adelais, he felt more comfortable with her, more willing to open to her. She desperately hoped so, she tried so hard to impress him.

But for now, she didn't care. She was glad to simply sit on his shoulder as he strode quickly through the dark corridors of the castle.

=^.^=

**A/N: Ok, the reason I haven't updated in a long time is because I just had a frinectomy and had my wisdom teeth cut out(they were impacted). So I've been in a lot of pain and I'm still actually really swollen. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed this!**

**Why I assigned these animals as people patronuses:**

**Luna / Swan - The swan represents sensitive, dreamer, emotional, grace, balance, love, beauty, self-transformation, longevity, intuition, empathy, innocence, mystic. I figured this accurately described Luna.**

**Ron / Tiger - The tiger represents power, energy, strength and will-power in the face of adversaries, acting in a timely manner, action without analysis, passion, devotion, and sensuality. Again, this seemed like Ron in animal form.**

**Neville / Cow - The cow represents being Alert to Danger, Contentment, Great Mother Goddess, Love, Connection to the Grasses, Sharing through Community, Vitality, Health, Prosperity, Life of the Land, Nourishment, Motherhood. Ok, so I know Neville doesn't represent motherhood, but I figured everything else described him really well.**

**Twins / Raccoons - Raccoons represent Curiosity, Creativity, Disguise, Dexterity. I think this one is pretty self explanatory.**

**Ginny / Horse - The horse represents the Goddess, the Land, Travel, Power, Freedom, Strength, Movement, Grace, Dignity, Stamina, Endurance, Faithfulness, Journey, Swiftness, Friends, Loyalty.**

**Cho / Seal - The seal represents protection, Lucid dreaming, Creativity, Love, Longing, Dilemma, Active Imagination. Ok, since we never really got to know Cho as a person, only as a depressed teenager, I tried to come up with something that best resembled what I thought she would be like. Except for the Lucid dreaming.**

**Ok, I used multiple websites to find this information, including an old Indian book my Great Uncle gave me to match these animals with everyone.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS.**


	14. Chapter 14

Harry looked fearfully to his best female friends back as they walked through the dark forest, the ministry hag following them in her pink sweater. He watched as she began spouting random things about what Dumbledore had them doing, all of them lies. He followed as she walked a winding path through the forest, a path he thought he may recognize. He gulped as he looked upon the broken rope that Grawp was once tethered to.

Hermione gave a quick smirk as the Centaurs came over the hill. After the attacked centaur was released, she turned to the woman standing with them, glaring hatefully at the wondrous creatures. She watched in satisfaction as Grawp walked through the trees, happily calling out 'Hermy' as he spotted her. And then, the Centaurs attacked.

She looked around her desperately for Harry as the fur covered bodies of the Centaurs surrounded her, as the drips of blood from Grawp rained over her. A flash of green eyes had her running in his direction until she reached him. Holding hands, the two ran from the mass and onto the hill the Centaurs came from. They turned, watching as Umbridge tried to fight her way out, the broken half of her wand resting limply in her hand as the Centaurs picked her up and began to leave the crying Grawp.

"You know, sometimes you scare me Hermione." She turned to look at her friend, grinning happily, before the two of them took off in the direction of the castle.

=^.^=

Voldemort smiled as he watched the Boy-Who-Lived twitch on the ground, screaming as the thoughts assaulted his mind, burning his veins. He narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, ignoring the sounds around him. He could hear the sounds of the Floo network being activated and the Ministry officials coming through. But he ignored this, intent on destroying the only person that had the potential to defeat him.

His eyes widened though as the boy began to fight back, thinking of all the people he loved and all the people that loved him. He looked into the green eyes of the boy, he listened as the boy began to speak in a shaky voice.

"I pity you." His anger got the best of him. He glared hatefully. The green eyes of the boy morphed into the blue eyes of his old professor. The voice speaking those three little words echoed through his head, changing to the soft, old voice of Dumbledore. He glared harder and spun on his heel to look to the ministry officials staring in horror at him. He sneered and spun again, Bellatrix at his side, and Dissapparated, anger coursing through his body.

He reappeared in the Malfoy Manor and immediately stalked off, black robes billowing about him and Bellatrix simpering behind him. He continued and left her as he entered the main office of Lucius Malfoy. The blonde man immediately walked around his desk and dropped to his knees in front of the pale man.

"What may I do for you, My Lord?" Voldemort sneered down to the blonde head and hissed out his reply.

"Bring me every scrap of information concerning Potter and all of those close to him. I will be awaiting the information in the Library." And with that, he spun around and stalked off to the Library.

=^.^=

The curly headed young woman sighed as she sunk into the soft mattress of her bed. After a moment of laying still, she curled onto her side and pulled the hand stitched blanket around her body. The sun, shining warmly, lay lazily over her body as she began to drift to sleep, ignoring the noises below her. Her body, aching painfully, felt as if it were on a cloud of bliss. She smiled languidly as her skin warmed.

Suddenly the door on the first floor opened loudly before quickly closing. Hermione's eyes snapped open and she sat up, looking around her wildly as her body screamed in agony. She closed her eyes for only a moment before pulling herself out of her bed stubbornly, ignoring her body.

She panted as she stood and pulled out her wand and made her way down the stairs, as quietly as possible. She closed her eyes and grimaced as she stepped on the squeaky stair. Pausing and going still, she waited for further movement before continuing down the stairs, wincing as the stair once more squeaked.

Her stealth was forgotten as she saw the two men standing in the living room of her home, one with black hair and one with silver hair. She blinked owlishly as the two men smiled at her before turning to the scowling Rose. Hermione, too, looked to the woman for an explanation.

"I don't know a thing, don't look at me." Hermione gave a small huff of a chuckle before looking to the dark haired, handsome man standing next to her Headmaster. Sirius Black. The man that she watched fall through the Veil only a week ago. The man she saw hit by the Killing curse. He gave a small smile before looking to the now speaking Headmaster.

"Rose, Miss Granger, I'm sure the two of you know Mister Black, yes?" At the nod of the two woman, he continued. "At the moment, he is suppose to be dead, no one is suppose to know he is alive. I need-"

"No." The three adults looked to the teen standing on the staircase, her muddy brown eyes hard and unmoving. Rose gave a small smirk of triumph as she looked at the young woman she had risen for most of her life. Albus's eyes gave a small flash of anger as Sirius only looked at his Godson's best friend in shock. It was he that spoke first.

"Hermione, I have to stay here, this is the only place that I'll be safe!" Hermione closed her eyes for a moment before opening them and giving a small shake of her head.

"Sirius, there are many other Order members that would be much better protection than a squib and student. In fact, it would be safer if you were to leave the country and Wizarding world if you are so intent on being safe." This time, Sirius gave a glare. Rose looked at Albus as he sighed, a smug expression on her wrinkled face.

"Hermione, let's be logical here-" Her eyes flashed angrily and her grip tightened on her wand as she lifted it up to point threateningly at the man in front of her.

"No, you need to see reason. All you will do is bring danger. Besides, if Harry were to find out that you had been living with me and I never told him, he would hate me. He would never speak to me." The man rose an eyebrow and gave her a condescending look.

"Now, Hermione, Harry would never shun you."

"Look, as much as I appreciate you making Harry happy, you don't know him like I do. I watched him grow, mature. I watched him accomplish things for the first time, I helped him do things every year. I've kept him out of danger. I know him. You, on the other hand, don't. So don't you dare try to tell me how Harry would react." She glared angrily at him before looking to Rose. "I don't think I should be down here right now. I'll go pack." Rose gave a single nod, smirk still plastered over her face, as Hermione walked back up the stairs. Sirius glared angrily at the girl, hating to admit that she had a point.

Sirius whirled angrily to the little old woman in front of him. Opening his mouth to speak, he was interrupted by the suddenly serious woman.

"Mister Black, you heard her. You would only create problems." She turned to Albus. "And you! You knew this was what was going to happen! We were just getting ready to leave!"

"Which is why I want Sirius with you. He already has a ticket on the plane you are getting on, the seat right next to you." Albus watched as she grinded her teeth together, breathing heavily through her nose. As the silence stretched between the three, interrupted only by the thumps from Hermione's room, Rose spoke in a deadly, quiet voice that sent a chill down Sirius's spine.

"Albus," She opened cold, Irish eyes. "you will never manipulate these situations again, do you understand? Hermione is going to be seventeen soon and legally allowed to perform magic outside of school. You're lucky she has this much control over her temper. All this anger you create in her isn't good for her situation." The two old adults locked eyes. Sirius only looked on in confusion as the two glared at each other. He had never seen Albus this angry, and he never wanted to.

A chill passed down his spine once more as the woman looked away from Albus and stared at him with her hard, green eyes.

"Thank yo-"

"You're not welcome in my home. You may wait on the sidewalk as we finish packing. Understood? Good, now go." She turned back to Albus. "And you, get out of my home." Albus glared for only a moment before he Apparated, a loud pop echoing through the room. Sirius only stood where he was left as Rose began to bustle about the room. It was a few moments before Rose turned to him with a glare. "I told you, get out of my house. We'll be done in a little while." Sirius nodded and left the home, dazedly casting a Notice-Me-Not charm on himself and his trunk.

=^.^=

Hermione watched as a slight sparkle left the home and stopped on the sidewalk outside. She felt bad as she continued to watch. She actually found the man to be quite smart and nice - when he wasn't with Harry - but he simply should not be with them. She wondered if Professor Dumbledore even knew that Professor Snape was coming with them. He would find out about Sirius, and who knew what he would do with that information.

She sighed and turned away from the window and began looking around the room for anything she had forgotten. As she walked about the room, she kept an eye on the clock by her bed, desperately awaiting the moment she would be able to take the Pain-Relief potion for the after effects of the Cruciatus curse.

=^.^=

He watched, disguised in muggle clothing, as the mutt who ruined his high school life walk beside the girl he was charged to watch. He sneered angrily, wondering how the hell he had lived through the killing curse and the Veil. After clearing his face, he stood and watched as the muddy brown eyes locked onto his, a smile spreading on the girls face. He wondered, briefly, why the girl was smiling before he was interrupted by the hard green eyes of Rose Callaway. He shifted on his feet before turning away and waiting for them.

"Hello, Professor Snape, how are you?" He looked at her from the corner of his eyes before turning away to face the mutt.

"How did you live?" The dark haired man glared and took a step forward.

"I'm sure you would've loved if I died, eh?" Severus glared and turned himself fully to face the slightly shorter man, which he used to his full advantage.

"Oh, you have no idea how happy I would've been, mutt."

"Snive-"

"HUSH! Both of you. You're in public. Now, start walking, we don't have all day." The white haired woman turned to Hermione, her eyes kinder and her face softer. "Hermione, are you ready to go?"

"Yes, Rose." The woman smiled and lead the three much younger people to the train, all of their luggage already checked in.

They only had a few moments to wait for their seats to be called. Rose went first, followed by Hermione, Severus, then an angry Sirius. It was a bit of an odd sight as the four walked in. Rose had, somehow, weaved her way through the line to find her seat by the window. Hermione had, somehow, managed to get behind Sirius, and Severus had disappeared in seconds, already seated in his seat in front of Rose. Sirius passed the Professor with a glare, and after checking his ticket, he sat beside Rose. Hermione blinked in surprise before a hand enveloped her wrist and pulled her into a seat.

It took her a moment before she realized someone was buckling her into her seat. Opening her mouth, she was prepared to yell at the person. But as she looked into the face of her professor settling back into his seat, the anger inside her was replaced by confusion. She blinked and turned slightly to look at Rose through the seat, whom was glaring angrily at the back of Severus's chair.

She only blinked once more before sitting forward in her seat and closing her eyes, waiting for the plane to take off.

=^.^=

As was usual every summer, Hermione was already out of the cab before it had stopped and running to the large mansion, a tall, dark haired man standing at the door, a gentle smile on his face. Rose only gave a small chuckle as Sirius yelped in surprise and Severus stiffened in his seat.

Adelais smiled as the girl ran full speed toward him and he stepped away from the wall and opened his arms, waiting for the impact. He gave a huff as the small woman ran into him, her arms wrapped tightly around him. He smiled and hugged the girl back, watching as Rose left the cab with two dark haired men, which she immediately barked out orders to. He chuckled and pulled away slightly from the curly haired girl.

"And who are these two young men with you?" Her eyes scrunched for only a moment before a smile smoothed out her features once more.

"Sirius Black and my Professor, your old apprentice, Severus Snape." Adelais looked up in surprise as he moved Hermione to his side, watching as the two men, loaded down with luggage, made it to his porch. He looked down emotionlessly at the two men.

"Neither of you have been invited to my home." He felt as Hermione's head shifted to look up at him. But he ignored her, staring at the two men. He looked to the newly arrived Rose for explanation.

"Albus pushed the cocky one onto us without our consent, and Hermione invited the ugly one." She pushed pass the two shocked men as Adelais gave a small chuckle. She glared up at him, to which he only returned with a smile. He looked down to the girl by his side.

"Hermione, you know what to do." As he began walking into the house, Hermione having already began the jog to the garden, he paused. He looked over his shoulder to the two men behind him. He held a soft spot for Severus, and he was, after all, suppose to be protecting Hermione. "Severus," Both men quickly looked to him. "help Hermione." Severus nodded, and with a smirk to Sirius, dropped his stuff onto the porch, and began walking after his student. "You, Mister Black, may bring in the luggage, one of the workers will direct you where to take everything." And with that, he walked into the house.

=^.^=

"Miss Granger?" He heard a yelp in a thicket of Thorned Snake Vines. The green plants hissed through their flower like heads and wiggled about as a slight figure wiggled from the depths. She pulled a few thorns out of her skin as she looked at her professor.

"Yes, Professor?" He looked down at her silently, wondering for how long she had been doing this. He remembered a time when he had just left school, when he had been with Adelais himself, doing the very things she was doing now. He wondered if the two had signed a formal Apprenticeship. As the girl called out his title once more, he mentally shook himself and answered.

"I was told by Adelais to help you." She blinked before smiling.

"Oh, well, I don't really need it." He nodded.

"I figured that. You will continue with your work and tell me the properties of each plant and their usefulness in potion making. Begin." Hermione, though shocked by her professor, could only nod excitedly as she began speaking, happy to finally show off to her professor with his permission.

And so, their summer began.

=^.^=

**A/N: Again, I know it's been a long time. I've been moving my horse to a new farm and dealing with school. I won't be able to update all the time. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed this! I'll have more Latin in the next chapter. I'll explain Sirius in the next chapter also.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS.**


	15. Chapter 15

It was nearing mid-July when Hermione happened to pass by her professors room as he was packing. He had forgotten to close his door, as he did on occasion, and was now completely absorbed in his work. Curious, Hermione walked closer to the open door and simply watched her professor.

Though she knew it was rude and would likely result in him yelling at her, she couldn't help it. It was rare to see any wizard of legal age packing the muggle way. And on top of that, she found it even more strange to see her professor, the terrifying one, doing something so mundane.

So caught up in her musings, she didn't notice her professor pause in his packing. He stood tall and looked to the woman standing in his doorway, staring blankly at him. He waited for a few moments before giving up with a sigh, knowing that she was to far in her thoughts. So, with another sigh, he stepped forward and snapped his fingers in front of her face.

Hermione leaped back from the sound and looked around her wildly for a moment before she realized her professor standing in front of her, fighting off a smirk. She straightened her back and tilted her head back only slightly, trying to be taller and look down her nose at him. Though, seeing how tall he was, this was impossible for a person of her short stature.

"Miss Granger, would you like to explain why you're watching me?" If it were at school, Hermione was sure this conversation would result in a lecture, detention, and hefty point loss. Though she couldn't tell if she would get a lecture or not, she knew that she would definitely not get a detention, nor would she loose any points.

"I was just wondering why you were packing." He rose an eyebrow.

"And wouldn't asking me be the more effective route?" She smiled slightly and relaxed, knowing that he wasn't angry. She was surprised by how comfortable she was now in his presence, but she figured spending every morning and meal with him would make them more relaxed with each other.

"It looked like you were thinking about something."

"I'm always thinking, you haven't had any issue interrupting my thoughts before." At the small frown she gave, he was once more tempted to smirk. But, deciding that he needed to leave soon, he answered. "I must return to London as soon as possible. Order business." Though the last part was a slight lie, it did have to do with the Order.

Hermione, oblivious to his lie, nodded quickly. She understood that, as a senior member, he had many things he had to do. His intelligence and expertise were probably unmatched. So, with a smile, she turned away and continued down stairs towards the ocean.

Severus watched the curly haired young woman leave down the hallway. As she disappeared from sight, he turned back into his room with a sigh and thought about the letter he had received earlier that morning from Narcissa, telling him that she would be at his home in a few days.

=^.^=

Albus looked down to the boy with sad eyes. He loved him so much, like a grandfather loved his grandson. He felt bad about lying to the boy about his godfather, but it was necessary. He knew that the boys mind was connected, through his scar, to Tom. And Tom could never know that someone could be brought back to life, it would be met with disastrous results.

And so, looking down to Harry, Albus ignored all the things he was hiding from the boy, including the reason for his injury, and thought to himself that it was all for the best.

=^.^=

It was the last week that they would be with Adelais when he called them to the main sitting room. Waiting for him to speak, Hermione looked out the wall of windows. The ocean was deep blue with the sun glinting off it in a warm glow. The ocean moved back and forth lazily, a few white tipped waves breaking against the golden sands of the beaches. As a couch squeaked slightly, Hermione turned back around, noticing that Rose had just sat down. She gave a quick smile to the woman before focusing on Adelais.

"After extensive research, which I will not go into now," He gave a pointed look to the now sheepish Hermione. "I have discovered how Mister Black was able to survive." Sirius sat up, scooting to the edge of his seat and looking intently at the man in front of him. Adelais scowled and glared at him. "Boy, believe me when I say that moving closer and looking like an over eager pup will not help you in hearing. Now, resume sitting normally so that I may continue." Sirius glared at him, yet, nonetheless, he did as he was instructed.

"Can we hear it now?" Adelais closed his eyes for a moment, muttering about how he wished that Sirius was one of his students in school. Sirius gulped and added a faint 'Please' to the end of his statement. Adelais gave a glare and instead focused on Hermione.

"Mister Black died the moment he was hit with the killing curse." A noise came from Sirius before Rose pinched his arm, effectively making him quiet. "Now, the properties of the Veil have always been a mystery, hence the reason it is in the Department of Mystery. Many believe that those whom pass through will die. But this is not true." He paused here, building anticipation, and Hermione briefly wondered if this was where her potions professor had picked up the habit. "The Veil actually reverses the state of the one passing through." The occupants in the room blinked at him, all wondering what the man meant. It was Rose that spoke up.

"Adelais, if you don't stop with these dramatics…"She let the end of her sentence trail off, letting her friend know without words what would happen. Adelais smiled and relaxed into his seat, taking a sip of his tea, allowing the curiosity to boil within those in the room.

"Fine, what I mean is, those who pass through switch states." He held up a hand. "All of those that had previously gone through the Veil had been alive when they went through. Their life span would equal the minutes it would take for them to come out the other side. They all came out dead." Sirius scrunched his eyes in confusion, trying to figure out what he meant.

"Look, don't bite my head off, but what do you mean?" Adelais, whom had taken his teaching attitude, looked at Sirius and answered his question.

"Let us take you for example, Mister Black. You are, what, thirty six, yes?" At Sirius's nod, Adelais continued. "As I said, you died when the killing curse hit you. That happened directly before you fell through the Veil. Since no one else knew of the Veil's properties, they thought you dead and moved on. But thirty six minutes after you fell through the Veil, you came out the other side, alive. You were then found by Albus, whom was waiting for you. Do you understand now?" The two men stared at each other for a few moments before Sirius nodded. The room was quiet for only a moment.

"If that is all?" The men and teen turned to Rose as she stood. Adelais gave a small nod. "Then I suggest we continue with our work. After all, we only have a week left." Hermione stood quickly and, with a nod from Adelais, ran out to the ocean to begin caring for the underwater garden. When the women were gone from the room, Adelais turned back to Sirius.

"You already know that I will not let you stay here, yes?" Sirius sighed and gave a nod as he sat back in his seat. He closed his eyes and the room was once more silent for a long time before Adelais spoke up again. "I have an idea." Opening his grey eyes, he looked over to the piercing eyes of the tall man across from him.

=^.^=

Hermione shifted uncomfortably on the train, nervously petting the head of the crane standing next to her. They were lucky that Hogwarts school rules did not restrict the older students familiars. She sighed as Ron once more gave the large bird an odd look, something between fear and annoyance. Suddenly, the door to their compartment opened.

Standing their was Ginny and Neville-whom was fairly winded. Ginny glanced briefly to her brother and his crush before moving on to Harry, locking her brown eyes with his green ones. Her breath caught briefly in her throat, though she was careful to not show this, before she could speak.

"Harry, you're suppose to come with me and Neville to Professor Slughorn's compartment." Harry blinked slightly in shock before giving a slow nod and standing up. With a glance back to his friends, he followed Ginny and Neville down the train.

Once Harry had moved onto the next train car, Ron closed the compartment door and sat down. The room was silent as the two avoided each others gaze. Ron, now more nervous than ever to be alone with his crush, couldn't bare to look at her without blushing. And Hermione couldn't look at Ron due to the fact that she was afraid he would see something he shouldn't. And so the two stayed silent for the rest of their trip, staying silent even as they got off the train and wondered where the missing third of their trio was.

=^.^=

Hermione huffed angrily as she glanced over to Harry's perfect potion. Though hers was also perfect, his was much farther along, and he was doing it effortlessly. And on the other hand, for the first time in her magical life, she was behind while working hard. Taking a deep breath, she tried to force herself to continue working, to not pay attention to Harry. But that was forgotten the moment Slughorn's large figure waddled up to their table.

"My, my, this is one of the best potions I've ever seen! Good job, my boy." He smiled down to the messy haired boy proudly before moving on after telling Hermione a quick 'Good Job.' She huffed again as she stared pointedly at her potion, ignoring Ron telling Harry good job.

She couldn't believe it, she was, for the first time, not the best. She had always been the best, especially in Potions. This was the one place she thought no one would be able to out shine her. This was _her_ place. She had one of the greatest potion masters as her personal teacher! So how was Harry, this boy who never really understood potions, doing better than her?

So with another glare to Harry's nearly completed, perfect Potion, she turned back to her own simmering potion.

=^.^=

Hermione looked around her once more, searching the Great Hall for Harry before giving up. He was, once more, skipping dinner. She looked down to the warm soup set in front of her and half heartedly stuck her spoon in. Her eyes remained fixed onto the table as Ron spoke on and on about Quidditch. The soup set heavily in her mouth and she had to swallow hard to get it down.

Realizing that eating was going to be pointless while she was this upset she stood quickly from her seat, surprising Ron into silence, and made an excuse about needing to go to the library and she quickly left. She walked silently around the castle, attempting to dispel some of her frustration.

The long corridors were dark and silent, all of the students happily tucked into their meals. That is, of course, not including herself and Harry. She sighed once more and sped up in her walking, her bag hitting the back of her knee with every step.

The longer she walked, the larger her frustration grew. She growled to herself and pulled slightly at her hair as the thoughts swirled darkly in her head and the air around her became charged. _'Why did Harry suddenly have to become so good at potions? How is he able to follow the Prince's instructions but no one else's? and why does he keep the book? It's obviously no good!' _her thoughts continued to whirl around in circles as the air became thicker with magic.

Deep in her, she knew that really she was only worried: worried that her friends would no longer need her if they got smarter. She knew she wasn't a likeable person. She _knew_ it. When she thought she was just a muggle, the others kids had always teased her, made fun of her for her looks and her attitude and where she lived. Whenever there was a new kid that didn't really know her, they would dislike her because she bossy. But that all changed when she came here and met Harry and Ron. They hung out with her, included her in things, laughed with her - not at her. But it was all because she was smart.

She never would have really met them if she hadn't been smart, and they wouldn't have kept her with them if she hadn't been smart. She knew that, to an extent, the boys liked her as a person. But she also knew that they were teenage boys, and that if they became smarter than her they would leave her, since she certainly didn't have the looks on her side.

Hermione sighed again and finally paused in her walking. Glancing around her at the dark corridor, she fingered her wand before quickly grabbing it and summoning her flames. She smiled at the slowly moving, deep blue flames as they quivered around her. She reached up with one hand and let a flame dance around her arm before she turned around and left to go outside, never realizing that she had stopped in front of the Headmasters office.

=^.^=

Albus looked over to the painting of Jonathan, the auburn haired man looking sober as he waited for Albus to speak. With a quick glance to Harry, whom had his head plunged in the Pensieve, Albus walked away and stood closer to the painting.

"What is it, Jonathan?" The man gave a small sigh as he, too, looked at the boy bent over. He focused back in on the Headmaster of the school.

"Miss Granger is wandering the halls, she looks quite upset." He paused for a moment. "I think your lessons with Mister Potter are disrupting the balance of our dear Golden Trio." He stared intensely at the old blue eyes man as he rubbed a hand over his wrinkled face. He sighed and slumped against the wall by the painting, staring at Harry whom was still watching the memories of young Tom Riddle. Jonathan focused in on the boy as he awaited for the man to speak.

"You of all people should know that I don't have a choice. Harry needs to know all that he can before the war hits us. I won't be around long enough to help him find all of the Horcruxes. One of them will need to know how to find them." His voice had risen slightly near the end, as if he were trying to convince himself more than the painting of the man. The silence stretched between them before Jonathan spoke in a soft, solemn voice that few rarely heard from him.

"Then why not teach Miss Granger and Mister Weasley too? Miss Granger is far better at figuring people out, she would know how to go about finding where the Horcruxes and what they are. Plus, she happens to also be able feel Tom's magic. She could feel out the Horcruxes if need be. And Mister Weasley is much better at figuring out how to use his resources to the best of their abilities. Mister Potter is strong, and powerful. But he is most definitely not the best option for these lessons. Why him?" Albus glanced sharply to the painting, though he could not clearly see it's contents due to the angle. He returned his gaze to Harry with a sigh before once more speaking up.

"Like you said, Mister Weasley is better at figuring how to go about obtaining the Horcrux, not figuring out what or where it is. And Miss Granger…she can't be trusted. She has Tom's magic, she is dark. And she spends her summers with only Adelais and Rose. And, although I know they don't support Tom, I do know they don't support the war at all. If Hermione were to tell them what she is learning with me, then they would pull her from England and keep her away from the war." Jonathan frowned.

"Alright, I understand Mister Weasley, but why not Miss Granger? You say you don't trust her, but yet you are going to let her run around the country with Mister Potter to find the Horcruxes? And you know she isn't dark. Mr. Ollivander could tell you that. You know she can be trusted. So what's the real reason, Albus." Albus ground his teeth and looked away from Harry as he thought over a way to get out of this.

He knew exactly why he didn't want to give her private lessons. It was because she was to strong minded. She wasn't easy to mold like Harry and Mister Weasley. She actually thought things out, she considered everything. And usually, her final answer differed from what he wanted. He knew that, truly, Adelais and Rose would still let her fight in the war, it was why they were training her. But he resented her because of her connection with Adelais. The man that had been his own rival in school. Adelais had been the one student that had ever challenged him, both academically and radically. And, although Severus was better for it, he couldn't control him. And now he couldn't control Miss Granger.

He stopped his thoughts immediately at that and focused back into on Jonathan as he realized that the silence had gone on for a very long time. He glanced over to Harry and realized that the memory would soon be ending. Finally he spoke.

"You don't have to send anyone after her, I'm sure she is able to fend for herself." And on that note, he stepped from the wall to quickly stand by the boy that was straightening himself out. Jonathan stood in the painting for a few moments, watching the two, before he left the painting to others in the corridor. Speaking to the other paintings, he found out where Miss Granger had run off to. Quickly, he moved frame to frame in the direction of the girl.

It was high time he finally introduced himself to the girl.

=^.^=

**A/N: Ok, first of all, I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in forever. I just haven't had any inspiration. But I hope this chapter made up for it. I'm sorry if the style of writing randomly shifts, I wrote half of this a month ago and the rest these past few days. And don't worry, I'll explain the crane in the next chapter.**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed!**

**DISCLAMIER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS.**


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